Slovenia became the first EU nation to impose arms embargo on Israel over the war in Gaza and the worsening humanitarian conditions of the Palestinians, according to AFP.
Arms Embargo
Slovenia’s government has repeatedly criticized Israel over the ongoing war in the Palestinian enclave.
In 2024, the government moved to recognize a Palestinian state as part of efforts to end the fighting in Gaza as soon as possible.
“Slovenia is the first European country to ban the import, export and transit of weapons to and from Israel,” the government said in a statement late Thursday.
Crucially, the government noted that it was moving ahead “independently” as the bloc was “unable to adopt concrete measures … due to internal disagreements and disunity.”
Slovenia also noted that since October 2023, the government had not issued any permits for the export of military weapons and equipment to Israel.
Banning Two Far-Right Israeli Ministers from Entering Slovenia
In June, Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon said that her country declared two far-right Israeli cabinet ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, persona non grata, according to Reuters.
Slovenia becomes the first European Union country to take such a decisive step in response to Israeli military operations in Gaza and its mounting violence against Palestinians.
The Slovenian government has accused both ministers of making “genocidal statements” and inciting violence against Palestinians.
“Today, the government adopted one of the first national measures, which is to declare two Israeli ministers… unwanted in the Republic of Slovenia,” Fajon told a news conference.
Crucially, this significant step comes after EU Foreign Ministers’ failure to agree on joint action against Israel over charges of human rights violations at a meeting in Brussels.
“This kind of measure is the first of its kind in the European Union. We are breaking new ground,” she said.
Slovenia’s government issued a statement saying both Ben-Gvir and Smotrich “publicly advocate the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, the forced evictions of Palestinians, and call for violence against the civilian Palestinian population”.
This decision comes at a crucial time as violence against Palestinians in the West Bank is growing with increasing number of killings and attacks by settlers and security forces.
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