Israeli soldiers take position near the Gaza border in southern Israel. AP
Slovenia’s government has consistently condemned Israel’s 22-month war -- denounced as outright genocide by scholars and rights groups -- and last year recognised a Palestinian state to pressure Israel to end the military onslaught.
“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.
It said it was moving ahead “independently” because the bloc was “unable to adopt concrete measures... due to internal disagreements and disunity”.
Amid Israel’s war and blockade of Gaza, where “people... are dying because humanitarian aid is systematically denied them”, it was the “duty of every responsible state to take action, even if it means taking a step ahead of others,” the statement added.
The government also said it had not issued any permits for the export of military weapons and equipment to Israel since October 2023, citing the Gaza war.
Earlier in July, Slovenia—also an EU first—banned two far-right Israeli ministers from entering the country.
It declared both Israelis “persona non grata”, warning they were inciting “extreme violence and serious violations of the human rights of Palestinians” with “their genocidal statements.”
In June 2024, Slovenia’s parliament passed a decree recognising Palestinian statehood, following the example of Ireland, Norway, and Spain.
On Thursday, Canada announced it will recognise a Palestinian state at the upcoming UN General Assembly in September. This came a day after the UK declared it would do the same—unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire and other conditions—and a week after France unveiled a similar plan.
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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