"We are decision-makers, not slaves": Conflict at the top of Slovenia over support for Israel
After vetoing the condemnation of the E1 plan, Slovenian PM Janez Janša continues his pro-Israel line and has publicly spoken out against the country's president, who called for supporting the European position against the settlements. "No institution authorized under international law has determined that there is genocide," he said, and spoke out against the automatic adoption of "external positions": "Yugoslavia is no more."
A sharp public conflict is taking place between Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša and the country's President Nataša Pirc Musar over Slovenia's policy towards Israel and the war in Gaza. This comes after Janša met with the chairman of the Yesha Council, Yossi Dagan, and stated that "God bless the residents of Judea and Samaria," and after he vetoed the publication of a European statement condemning the E1 plan.
The President criticized the government's position and stated that "international law is not a matter of political choice" and that it must apply equally to everyone. According to her, Slovenia must support a clear European position against the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and there is no room for "double standards" when it comes to international law. The Prime Minister, on the other hand, launched a sharp attack and clarified that Slovenia is a sovereign state and that there is no European position on foreign affairs that Slovenia is obliged to accept without its consent.
In response to the criticism, the Prime Minister said:
"Yugoslavia is no more - this is Slovenia."
He emphasized the country's independence and sovereignty. He also argued that there is a contradiction between relying on international law and using the term "genocide" in relation to Gaza or Judea and Samaria, as, according to him, no institution authorized under international law has determined that it is genocide. He defined the use of the term as a "political choice of a special kind."
The Prime Minister added that Slovenia is an equal member of the European Union and that without its consent - or the consent of any other member state - there is effectively no "European foreign position" that Slovenia must accept automatically. "We are decision-makers, not slaves," he wrote, and clarified that his government intends to pursue a pragmatic policy in all areas within its constitutional authority, while placing the well-being of Slovenian citizens at the top of its priorities.
The conflict reveals an unusual disagreement at the top of Slovenia: while the President calls for the country to align with the European line critical of Israel's policy in the West Bank, the Prime Minister emphasizes national sovereignty, opposes the automatic adoption of European positions, and warns against the political use of legal terms such as "genocide."
Slovenia took an unusual step last week on the European stage, which may signal a significant change in its relations with Israel. Janez Janša's government vetoed the publication of a joint statement by all 27 European Union countries against the Israeli construction plan in the E1 area in East Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria. The Slovenian veto did not prevent the Union from condemning the Israeli move, but it prevented the condemnation from becoming an official statement of all the Union's countries. In the absence of a consensus between the countries, the European Union's Foreign Minister, Kaja Kallas, published a statement on August 23 on her own behalf and on behalf of the European External Action Service.
Slovenia's veto was not the only one - it was joined by the Czech Republic, which had previously blocked anti-Israel initiatives in the Union. The previous government in Slovenia supported statements critical of Israel, including against E1, as it did on May 22, 2026. The new government took office in June 2026, and this gap illustrates the change in the Slovenian government's position within a few days.
