Slovenia Recognizes Palestinian State Following European Trend

June 5, 2024

After a vote in parliament with 52 votes in favor, Slovenia legally recognized Palestine as a sovereign state on June 4. This puts Slovenia in the same group as Spain, Norway, and Ireland, all of which have recently recognized Palestine. Israel strongly disagreed with Slovenia’s action, but Tanja Fajon, Slovenia’s Foreign Minister, praised it as a step toward peace and stressed the need for a two-state settlement to ensure long-term peace in the Middle East.

Steps Leading to Recognition

The process started when Slovenia’s government agreed to recognize Palestine. The motion was then sent to Parliament to be passed in full. Along with examples from other countries, the current conflict between Israel and Hamas had a big impact on politics in Slovenia, especially the recent attacks on Rafah, which sped up the process of recognizing Palestine. Prime Minister Robert Golob compared Palestine’s goals to Slovenia’s historical fight for independence, which made more people and politicians back the move.

Political Implications and Opinions

The proposal for recognition was mostly backed by Slovenia’s ruling coalition, which has the most seats in the Assembly. The biggest opposition party in Slovenia, the Slovenian Democratic Party, was against the decision. They tried to hold a referendum to delay the parliamentary vote, but in the end, they gave up on the idea.

More About Slovenia’s recognition of Palestinian state

On January 15, 2011, Slovenia officially accepted Palestine as a separate country. This recognition was part of a larger trend in Europe where other countries did similar things. Under the direction of Samuel Zbogar, who was Foreign Minister at the time, Slovenia made this diplomatic choice. The recognition is in line with Slovenia’s support for a two-state settlement to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Even though there were pressures and different views around the world, Slovenia stuck to its position. This shows how important diplomatic and peaceful solutions are in international relations.

« Previous Post Next Post »