Albania’s foreign ministry issued a strong condemnation after masked protesters removed and defaced the Israeli Embassy flag in the capital, Tirana, during a wave of mass demonstrations that has gripped the country for more than three weeks. The ministry called the act “shameful” and said it did not reflect the views of the Albanian public, while security forces were placed on heightened alert.
The incident happened on Saturday night during angry protests that began as an environmental campaign against a controversial luxury tourism development linked to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, but later took on an overtly anti-Israel tone. The Albanian government said the attack on the embassy symbol had nothing to do with peaceful protest or democratic values, and emphasized that Albania remains committed to honoring foreign diplomatic missions under the Vienna Convention.
Albania and Israel have long had warm ties, rooted in Albania’s World War II history of protecting Jews and ending the war with a larger Jewish population than it began with. Israeli Ambassador Galit Peleg recently said the bilateral relationship is “very close,” but the latest unrest has strained that image. Only a week earlier, organizers of a planned “Israel Culture Week” in Tirana had to scale back parts of the event after flags were quickly removed when people threatened to burn them.
Officials also hinted that outside forces may be fueling the unrest, pointing directly at Iran, with which Albania has tense relations. Prime Minister Edi Rama said the organizers were trying to carry out “economic self-sabotage” and damage the country’s crucial summer tourism season, while rejecting calls to resign. Protesters want him to step down over what they describe as arrogance and a lack of transparency about coastal development projects, especially a multimillion-dollar resort planned for protected areas in the Vjosa-Narta and Sazan regions. The political pressure intensified when Mariana Koçko, a Socialist MP from Shkodra, left the ruling party and declared herself independent.
