Turkey spy case highlights growing Israel-Kosovo ties
Last week's arrest by Turkish security forces of a Kosovo citizen for allegedly collaborating with Israeli intelligence has highlighted Israel's close ties with the Balkan country and its suspected espionage activities there.
Turkish security sources believe that Mossad, Israel's foreign intelligence agency, has been using Eastern European countries, particularly Kosovo, to finance its informants and operatives on the ground in Turkey.
The arrest of Liridon Rexhepi on 30 August was the result of months of work by Turkish intelligence, who had been monitoring Rexhepi's transactions, including payments to local informants spying on Palestinian politicians and recording them via drones.
The informants were said to also be gathering information on the situation in Syria.
Turkish intelligence monitored Rexhepi after he entered Turkey on 25 August, and tracked his money transfers to field personnel via Western Union, according to sources.
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Rexhepi's arrest also spotlights Israel’s increasing foray into Kosovo, one of the world’s youngest countries and a Muslim-majority nation that is now facing increased scrutiny over its relationship with Israel.
Israel and Kosovo only established diplomatic relations in 2020, with the encouragement of the Trump administration.
Jerusalem embassy controversy
Controversially, Kosovo became the first Muslim-majority country to open its embassy in Jerusalem, in 2021.
However, relations between Kosovan law enforcement and Israel go back more than a decade, and include training trips to Israel.
“Israel has sought to utilise the Albanians of Kosovo as allies in its conflict with the Palestinians,” Albanian historian and political analyst Olsi Jazexhi told Middle East Eye.
'The Kosovo government is hoping that Israel will help them toward international recognition'
- Olsi Jazexhi, political analyst
“The Israeli ambassador to Kosovo, Tammy Ziv, along with the Israeli embassy in Tirana, have spent significant amounts inviting and co-opting public figures in Albania and Kosovo to support Israel in its struggle against Muslim resistance in the Middle East," said Jazexhi.
Kosovo is not recognised at the United Nations and has sought allies where it can get them. This has placed the Balkan country in a vulnerable position.
“Israel is leveraging Kosovo for its espionage activities because Kosovars are Muslim and may be less susceptible than Israelis or other nationalities to carry out operations on behalf of Mossad in the Muslim world,” added Jazexhi.
In June, Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti praised Israel for lifting visa requirements for his citizens during a meeting with Israeli Interior Minister Moshe Arbel in Pristina, the capital of Kosovo.
The embrace by Kosovo’s left-leaning government has come at a cost, however. In an article earlier this year, dubbed “Silencing Solidarity”, two academics noted that the ruling party's past “statements of solidarity” with the Palestinians have been removed from their website.
“The current Kurti government in Kosovo, known for its anti-colonial and equity rhetoric, has been completely mute regarding the genocide in Gaza,” they wrote.
Kurti has sought to emphasise the importance of enhancing economic cooperation and trade between Kosovo and Israel. Such initiatives have included inviting Israeli businesses to Kosovo.
“The Kosovo government is hoping that Israel will help them toward international recognition,” said Jazexhi.
Balkans receptive to Israel's influence
Following the arrest of Rexhepi, Kosovo's justice minister, Albulena Haxhiu, revealed at a news conference that the government had received inquiries from Turkey about the case.
There were reports that Kosovo's foreign ministry has requested further information from Turkey regarding Rexhepi's arrest. MEE has asked the ministry and Kosovo’s embassy in Turkey for comment.
Since Donald Trump's US government pushed Kosovo to establish diplomatic ties with Israel as part of the Abraham Accords, a raft of agreements establishing formal relations between Arab and Muslim countries and Israel, Pristina has taken steps to accommodate Israeli and US interests in the Middle East.
“The Balkans, including Albania, Kosovo, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, have proven to be receptive to Israel's overtures. This is largely due to the influence of the United States in these countries, coupled with Israel's strategic alignment with US interests,” Mentor Beqa, professor of international politics at the Aleksander Moisiu University of Durres in Albania, told MEE.
In 2023, Kosovo police banned a pro-Palestinian protest ahead of a Kosovo-Israel football match, citing security concerns. Two individuals were arrested prior to the match. One of them was detained for 48 hours, allegedly for "placing a Palestinian flag with nationalist graffiti in a bar".
Kosovo also moved to declare Lebanon's Hezbollah movement a terrorist organisation and shut down Muslim NGOs linked to Iran.
A former prime minister of Kosovo, Avdullah Hoti, who signed recognition agreements with Israel, also supports the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK), an extremist Iranian opposition group based in Albania and backed by pro-Israeli groups in the US.
More recently, the Kosovo government has been outspoken in support of Israel following the 7 October Hamas-led attack, which killed almost 1,200 people and saw around 240 others taken captive.
Silence over Gaza
As the death toll from Israel’s onslaught on Gaza has climbed to more than 40,000, the Kurti government has largely remained silent.
In Albania and Kosovo, Israel is generally seen in a positive light among the political elites.
“The intelligence services of both countries maintain strong ties with their US counterparts, especially in counterterrorism efforts,” said Beqa. "It is plausible that Israeli intelligence collaborates closely with these agencies, creating operational synergies that facilitate Mossad's activities in the region."
Kosovo is now in a delicate position. Its foreign policy is shaped firmly by its dependence on the United States for security and international recognition, noted Beqa.
Yet, while Israel's recognition and the establishment of diplomatic ties are “strategically significant for Kosovo, Turkey remains a crucial ally, having been instrumental in promoting Kosovo's international recognition and providing advanced military support”, he added.
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