Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić is standing firm in his support for Israel and alignment with President Donald Trump amid rising tensions with Iran, even as antisemitic rhetoric at home has drawn sharp condemnation from both Serbian and Israeli officials.

A recent report in The Jerusalem Post highlighted growing concern after protests in Belgrade turned volatile, with demonstrators chanting inflammatory slogans including "Death to Vučić and the Jews around him."

The protests erupted following a police raid on facilities at the University of Belgrade, which authorities said was tied to an investigation into a student’s death, while critics accused the government of suppressing dissent.

The antisemitic outburst sparked immediate backlash.

In a joint statement, Israeli lawmaker Boaz Toporovsky, Holocaust historian Efraim Zuroff, and Serbian honorary consul Aleksandar Nikolić denounced the rhetoric in unequivocal terms.

"No political motive whatsoever justifies such calls," they said, describing Vučić as "a proven friend of the Jewish people and the State of Israel in its most difficult times."

Serbian officials echoed that condemnation.

Nemanja Starović, who also represents Serbia at the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, said he was "appalled" by what he described as "horrifying outbursts of antisemitism," including explicit calls for violence against both the president and Jewish people.

Starović warned that such rhetoric reflects a deeper issue within segments of the protest movement.

"Ignoring this dangerous threat has allowed it to escalate into open calls for murder," he said, urging protest organizers to immediately remove antisemitic messages and publicly condemn the incidents.

The unrest comes at a sensitive geopolitical moment, as Vučić continues to position Serbia — despite not being a member of NATO — as a key player in Central and Eastern Europe aligned with U.S. and pro-Israel interests.

His government has increasingly signaled political alignment with Washington under Trump, particularly in opposition to Iran’s regional ambitions.

Vučić’s foreign policy posture has been marked by symbolic and strategic gestures.

Notably, he became one of the first European leaders to visit the United Arab Emirates during a period of heightened regional instability, traveling there while the country faced missile threats.

During that visit, he met with Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, underscoring Serbia’s willingness to engage directly with key U.S.-aligned partners in the Middle East.

This positioning has placed Serbia in a unique diplomatic lane — geographically European but increasingly active in Middle Eastern geopolitics, particularly in support of Israel and against Iranian influence.

Analysts say this reflects Vučić’s broader strategy of balancing traditional European ties with emerging global alignments.

At the same time, the domestic backlash illustrated by the Belgrade protests highlights internal tensions.

Serbia has historically prided itself on resistance to fascism during World War II and has emphasized remembrance of the Holocaust.

In their statement, Toporovsky, Zuroff, and Nikolić stressed that legacy, noting that both Serbs and Jews were victims during the war and that there is "no place for such unacceptable calls" in modern Serbia.

Vučić himself has repeatedly emphasized Serbia’s commitment to combating antisemitism.

In past remarks, he stated that the country "will always appreciate, respect, and like the Jewish people and Israel," reinforcing his government’s pro-Israel stance even amid domestic political challenges.