The government of Slovenia approved the decision to recognise a Palestinian state on May 30, Prime Minister Robert Golob declared.
Today the government has decided to recognise Palestine as an independent and sovereign state.
Golob made the announcement at a press conference in Ljubljana, according to Euractiv. Slovenia followed the lead of Spain, Ireland, and Norway.
However, the move drew sharp condemnation from Israel. Foreign Minister Israel Katz claimed the decision rewarded Hamas for the October 7 attack on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza.
Parliament of Slovenia has to approve the government’s decision in the coming days. The Slovenian government raised the Palestinian flag alongside Slovenian and EU flags in front of its building in the centre of Ljubljana. The move is part of a broader effort by the countries to coordinate pressure on Israel to end the conflict in the Gaza Strip.
Golob also called for an immediate cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and the release of all hostages.
This is the message of peace.
Ambiguity in recognising Palestine
On May 28, Spain, Ireland, and Norway officially recognised a Palestinian state. Of the 27 EU members, Sweden, Cyprus, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria have already recognised a Palestinian state. Malta, meanwhile, stated that it could follow soon.
The Palestinian ambassador to Lisbon, Nabil Abuznaid, expressed hope that Portugal could soon join the countries recognising Palestine.
Recognition by Eastern European states occurred during communism when their governments supported the Organisation for the Liberation of Palestine (OLP). Solvenia was a Yugoslav republic at the time.
The UK and Australia stated that they were also considering recognition. However, France declared that “now is not the time.” Meanwhile, Germany joined the US in rejecting unilateralism. Berlin insisted that a two-state solution could only be achieved through dialogue.
Denmark’s parliament rejected a bill to recognise a Palestinian state on Tuesday. Norway, which leads an international group of donors to the Palestinians, followed the US stance until recently. However, the country lost confidence in the effectiveness of such a strategy.
Israel has been fighting Hamas since the militants’ cross-border attack on October 7, which left some 1,200 people killed and more than 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli estimates. Gaza health authorities, meanwhile, report that more than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war over the past seven months.
