Serbia among five new Israeli economic missions - Belgrade chosen for support during Gaza war

Israel will open five new economic missions abroad, primarily in countries friendly to Benjamin Netanyahu's government and which supported Israel during the Gaza war, and one of the locations is Serbia, reported Haaretz, one of the oldest and most respected daily newspapers in Israel.

The new missions will be opened next year, in addition to Serbia, in the capitals of Ethiopia, Greece and Argentina, as well as in Miami (USA), bringing the total number of Israeli economic missions to 60, reported Israel.com.

The opening of the new missions was announced on Monday at the annual conference of Israeli economic attaches in Jerusalem by Israeli Economy and Industry Minister Nir Barkat and the Ministry's Director General Moti Gamish.

Serbia, according to Haaretz, was chosen because it has a rapidly growing economy and was also "a significant supplier of ammunition to Israel during the Gaza war." According to research by Haaretz and BIRN, in the first half of 2025, Serbia exported ammunition worth around EUR 55.5 million to Israel, which is more than the total ammunition production in all of 2024, the article states. Argentina was chosen due to the recovery of the market and the support of President Javier Milei, including his announcement that he would move the embassy to Jerusalem.

Greece, Haaretz reports, is a long-time ally of Israel, although Prime Minister Mitsotakis has occasionally criticized Israel. Miami is designated as a center for fintech, cyber-technology and logistics, and the Israeli media outlet points out that Yair Netanyahu, the son of the Israeli prime minister, lives in the city, while Donald Trump's residence is in nearby Palm Beach. Ethiopia is included "because it is more cautious and less critical of Israel", while its economy is growing by around 8% annually.

According to data from the Israeli Ministry of Economy and Industry, attachés organized about 45,000 business meetings in 2025, which led to about 190 export deals worth a total of USD 1.2 billion, Haaretz reported.