Slovenia has taken an unprecedented step within the European Union after announcing Thursday that will prohibit arms trade with Israel. The Slovenian prime minister, Robert Golob, has justified the decision of his executive for the “serious violations of international law” that the Israeli army is committed in Gaza and accuses the European Union (EU) of having resigned to act in front of what he considers a genocide that has left, for the moment, more than 60,200 dead in the Palestinian population. “The result is shameful: Gaza’s people are dying because humanitarian aid is systematically denied,” said the head of the Government.
The decision, adopted after the weekly meeting of the Slovenian Council of Ministers, includes the suspension of exports, imports or the traffic of armament or military equipment, both in the sense of entry and conversely. The measure will immediately enter And there is weeks after Robert Golob himself warned that his country would act on his own if the European Union did not adopt concrete sanctions against Israel before the end of July. “Because of internal disagreements and disunity, the EU cannot fulfill this task,” says an executive statement.
The Slovenian executive has defended that, in the current circumstances, “any responsible state has the duty to act, even if that means anticipating others” and has reiterated its commitment to the protection of human rights and respect for international law. According to Liubliana, his decision on the embargo does not respond to a symbolic or isolated gesture but is part of a foreign policy “consistent with the foundational principles of the European Union” that, in his opinion, cannot continue appealing to international legality when he maintains strategic agreements on commercial and defense matters with a state accused of violating it systematically. “It is not enough to express concern. You have to act accordingly,” underlines the Golob cabinet.
he declared two weeks ago as people non grata to two Israeli ministers of ultra -right: Itamar Ben Truethe leader of the ultra -nationalist party Jewish power, and Bezalel Smotrichat the head of religious Zionism. Both are part of the coalition that is part of the Netanyahu Benjamin government and have been indicated by promoting hate speeches. As explained by the Slovenian Foreign Minister, Tanja Fajon, both “incite extreme violence” “and” publicly promote ethnic cleaning “in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip.
“These are two ministers who advocate the expansion of illegal settlements, forced evictions and attacks against Palestinian civilians,” said the Slovenian government. Liubliana relies on the opinion of the International Court of Justice of July 2024, which declared the Israeli occupation illegal and demanded the dismantling of these settlements.
BLOCK BLOCK, Pressure from Madrid
The Slovenian rupture arrives just two days after the twenty -seven failed, once again, in their attempt to impose common measures against Israel. The European Commission’s proposal to suspend part of the one did not achieve the qualified majority necessary for approval, after several member states claimed more time or its skepticism about a measure that Spain, Sweden and other countries of the favorable block have supported.
The Spanish government, which supports the measure of Brussels, still considers that it falls short. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “Spain believes that the severity of the violation of human rights in Gaza, verified by the European Commission report, requires going further and suspending the entire EU-Israel Association Agreement, as Spain requested for a long time.” Both Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, and the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, have repeatedly claimed the one that forces respect for human rights. Both have denounced the double standard that, in their opinion, applies the EU with Israel, compared to the sanctions imposed on Russia.
The proposal of the European Commission, which is still on the table, plans to suspend only the access of Israeli entities to the accelerator aid of the European Innovation Council (EIC), focused on the startups with dual use, civil and military potential. It would not affect, for now, the scientific collaboration with the universities or the collaborative projects of the program Europe Horizon. Brussels insists that it would be a “proportionate” and “reversible” measure, according to the situation in the Gaza Strip.
At the moment, no other country in the European Union has replicated the decision of Slovenia. Robert Goob, however, defends that it is not about becoming leaders of any block, but not looking the other way: “we act according to our principles.”
More cracks in the support of the West
The Slovenian decision on the arms trade occurs in a context of growing international pressure on Israel. France, the United Kingdom – and Canada have promised that in September they will recognize the state of Palestine, something that has caused an angry response by the Netanyahu Benjamin government that, from Tel Aviv, insists that this gesture would be equivalent to rewarding Hamas for the attack of October 7.
In addition, the new German Foreign Minister, Johann Wadephul, has warned that “Israel runs the risk of being increasingly isolated” and has claimed a high immediate fire in Gaza. “Pauses are not enough. It’s time to end this war,” he said after meeting this Thursday with Netanyahu, Israeli President Isaac Herzog and his counterpart Gideon Saar. Wadephul has described the humanitarian situation in the Gazatí enclave and stressed that Germany has “the responsibility of avoiding that diplomatic isolation, while the debate about possible sanctions and it grows in the EU.
The United States also tries to reactivate the negotiations of Alto El Fuego and stop the humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip, where more than 60,200 people have already died from the attacks of Israel and others 150 have done it for hunger or malnutrition. The special envoy Steve Witkoff has gathered is Thursday with Benjamin Netanyahu to address the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid in an encounter that the White House spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, has described as “very productive”, while defending that “Trump is a humanitarian of great heart” that sent Witkoff “to save lives and end the crisis.”
Witkoff will travel to the Gaza Strip on Friday with Ambassador Mike Huckabee to inspect the cast points, meet with the civilian population and specify a new food distribution plan, which will be sent directly to the president. The visit coincides with a new bloody day: some 91 people have died of the Israeli army in the tails of the distribution of aid and two others for malnutrition. Yesterday, Trump reiterated on his social network, Truth Social, that “the fastest way to put an end to this humanitarian crisis in Gaza is that Hamas is delivered and released to hostages.”
