Bosnia and Herzegovina's largest Bosniak party, the Party of Democratic Action (SDA), has criticised Israel's foreign minister, saying his remarks on the need to "safeguard the Christian minorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina" amount to direct interference in the country's internal affairs.

After meeting on Monday with Bosnia and Herzegovina's Serb member of the tripartite Presidency, Zeljka Cvijanovic, Gideon Sa'ar said on social media that he and Cvijanovic "discussed the need to safeguard the Christian minorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina."

The SDA, founded by Bosnia and Herzegovina's first president, the late Alija Izetbegovic, strongly condemned Sa'ar remarks.

In a statement on its website, the party said Sa'ar's comments represented a continuation of a premeditated propaganda campaign targeting Bosniaks – who are predominantly Muslim – and constituted direct interference in Bosnia and Herzegovina's domestic affairs.

"With the intention of harming Bosniaks, the Israeli minister is also unintentionally insulting Serbs and Croats, because there is no 'Christian minority' in Bosnia and Herzegovina," the statement said.

"As stipulated by the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, there are constituent peoples. Moreover, Bosniaks are not threatening any of these peoples; on the contrary, they are being deprived of their rights."

Historical record recalled

The SDA also stressed that Sa'ar ignored the realities of the Bosnian war.

"The Israeli minister either does not know or does not want to know that genocide was committed against Bosniaks, who were subjected to mass war crimes, ethnic cleansing and detention in concentration camps," it said.

The statement also said Zionists have forgotten that Muslims from across the Islamic world, particularly from Bosnia and Herzegovina, extended a helping hand to Jews during their expulsion from Spain after the year 1492.

Separately, Cvijanovic also drew criticism from Bosnia and Herzegovina politicians and media outlets after the flag of Republika Srpska, one of the country's two entities, was displayed instead of Bosnia and Herzegovina's national flag during her meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.