The opening of Kosova’s embassy in Jerusalem has angered millions of people in the Balkans and the world. Albanians from Prishtina to Tirana are outraged by this move. They see it as an insult on their beliefs as well as the international law. The president of Kosova,VjosaOsmani has also been shocked and distanced herself from this opening. In Prishtina, Tirana and Skopjemany Albanians are denouncing this illegal move. Several influential Kosovar imams likeHusamedinAbazi, RijadImeri and Adrian Sejdiu have denounced the embassy move and describedit as a blasphemy against world religions and international conventions. Many Kosovars are outraged with the outgoing government of Prishtina for its betrayal of Palestinians and international law. However, the government of AvdullahHotiin Prishtinawhich came to power on 3 June 2020 and is leaving office in few days did not care for international conventions, nor for the president of Kosova, nor for the feelings of the Islamic Community of Kosova where Muslims make 95% of the population.
The history of Kosova’s embassy to Jerusalem goes back to the era of Trump administration when Evangelical lunatics and Israeli worshipers were running the American government and doing their best to subdue Muslim countries to Israel. Richard Grenell, who served as Special Presidential Envoy for Serbia and Kosovo for President Trump did his utmost from 2019 to 2020 to convince the Kosovar government to sign a “Normalization Agreement” with Serbia. This agreement which foresaw major economic benefits for Serbia, disregard for the independence and division of Kosova with Serbia was rejected by many Albanians in Kosova, Albania and the region. The Prime Minister of KosovaAlbinKurti andhis Party, Levizja Per Vetevendosje (Movement for Self-Determination) rejected the shameful agreement which the Evangelical Richard Grenell and the Zionist son in law of president Trump, Jared Kushner imposed on Kosova. One of the points of this agreement demanded Serbia and Kosova to move their embassies to Jerusalem. The government of AlbinKurtiwhich rejected this ‘surrender agreement’ to Serbia and by extension to Israel,was pressured by Richard Grenell and US Embassy in Prishtinato accept and sign it before Trump. When the Americansunderstood thatKurtiwas not going to sign they pushed other parties in the parliament of Prishtina to oust him from power and in his place install a government headed by AvdullahHoti of The Democratic League of Kosova.
Hoti and his party, the Democratic League of Kosova which inherits the Catholicist and Islamophobic ideology of Ibrahim Rugova complied with the demands of Richard Grenell. On September 4, 2020 in presence of Jared Kushner, President Trump and Richard Grenell, AvdullahHoti signed the ‘normalization agreement’ with Serbia. After the signing, President Trump called Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu and told himthat Muslims Kosovawas ready to recognize Israel and send its embassy to Jerusalem.
The soft ‘coup’ which American officialsmade againstAlbinKurti was marred by accusations from Kurti’s administration that Grenell was planning the division of Kosova with Serbia. These accusations have been repeated even by Ilir Meta, president of Albania who has acused Prime Minister Edi Rama of Albania and president AleksandarVučić of Serbia of being part of an international conspiracy against Kosova. However, the Americans have denied these allegations. Richard Grenell, Ambassador Philip Kosnett and Matthew Palmer US Representative for Western Balkans on Kosovo issued a joint statementdenying these allegations.AlbinKurti’srejection of Grenell’s ‘Normalization Agreement’ with Serbia and Israel caused him his job. Hewas removed from his office and the AvdullahHoti government did all it could to please the evangelicals of Trump administration.Kosovar authorities continued their crusade against AlbinKurti by evenbarring him from running for the Kosovar parliamentary elections of 2021.
However, in the elections of February 2021 the Party of Kurti won by getting 50.28% of the votes. The Kosovars rejected on mass all the other political parties which sided with the Trump administration and decided that AlbinKurti was the man for the job. The democratic victory of AlbinKurti caused panic in Israel and in the Evangelical circles of America. Richard Grenell’s dream of having Kosova, as the first Muslim majority country to send its embassy to Jerusalem was in danger. Three days after AlbinKurti’s victory on February 17, 2021 Benjamin Netanyahu sent a letter congratulating Kurti for the victory and inviting him to open the embassy in Jerusalem. AlbinKurti responded to the invitation of Netanyahu by declaring that his government will review the decision for opening the embassy, either in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv.The deputy leader of Kurti’sVetevendosje Party and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, GlaukKonjufcasaid that the decision to open the embassy in Jerusalem was not smart.
The Evangelical Richard Grenell who was the major architect of the embassy affair, went mad. He attacked Kurtion twitter calling him an “anti-American” having engaged in terrorism.
After understanding that the new government of Kosova will follow the international law and will not humiliate Turkey, the European Union, the Arab League and the Muslim World, the government of Benjamin Netanyahu decided to open the embassy of Kosova by itself in Jerusalem. In coordination with the outgoing government of AvdullahHoti they made Ines Demiri, an Israeli – Kosovar citizen, the Charge d’Affairs of Kosova in Israel. Ines, whose ex-Muslim father VotimDemiri(an ex-Yugoslav Party official) nowserves as the head of the Jewish Community of Kosova, went her own way and together with Israeli authorities declared the opening of Kosova’s embassy in Jerusalem official on March 14, 2021. Jerusalem Post upgraded Demiri to the post of ambassador of Kosova in Israel.
The surreptitious opening of Kosova’s Embassy to Jerusalem has caught all Albanians by surprise. Turkey, the Palestinians, the Organization of Islamic Cooperationand the international community are denouncing the move. Kosova’s president VjosaOsmani was also shocked. Shedistanced herselfand declared that the embassy was opened without her permission but with a decree issued on 27 October 2020 by ex-president HashimThaci who is in detention in the Hague for war crimes.
While Israel got the embassy ofKosova illegally installed in Jerusalem, Israel has given nothing to Kosova in return. No Israeli embassy will be opened in Prishtina and so far Israel has recognized Kosova as a country and not as a state. In few words Israel treatsMuslim Kosova as an entity and not a state. Hamas andHizbullahtreat Israel in similar terms. The dream of Israel and Evangelicals of Donald Trump for having Kosova move its embassy to Jerusalem seems to have gone wrong. In the coming weeks the new government of AlbinKurti in Prishtina might decide to move its embassy back to Tel Aviv. What will Netanyahu do if Prishtina decides to respect the international law? Withdraw its recognition?
Source: Press TV
By Olsi Jazexhi Albanian historian and journalist, specialised in history of Islam, nationalism and modernity
