Israel opens first resident embassy in Slovenia as Jansa government shifts course

LJUBLJANA, Sept. 9 — Israel opens its first resident embassy in Slovenia on Wednesday, the most concrete sign yet of a thaw in relations since Prime Minister Janez Jansa formed a center-right government earlier this year.

The opening reverses the tone set by Slovenia’s previous government. Ljubljana had recognized a Palestinian state, becoming one of the few European countries to do so, and also moved ahead of most EU partners in penalizing Israel over settlement policy by banning imports from West Bank settlements and barring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and two of his hardline ministers from entering the country. Jansa’s cabinet rescinded those trade and travel measures after taking office.

For Israel, the new embassy is a rare diplomatic gain in Europe at a time when it faces growing isolation over West Bank policy. Britain, France and Canada are among countries that have imposed import bans on products from Israeli settlements.

“This is a clear expression of Israel’s commitment to our friendship and to its future,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told reporters in Ljubljana, standing beside Slovenian Foreign Minister Tone Kajzer at the start of a two-day visit. Saar described the creation of the first resident Israeli mission in Slovenia as a historic day.

Kajzer said the two countries should now build on the reset. “After a long period of less intensive political contacts, it is time to shift cooperation between Slovenia and Israel into a higher gear,” he said. The two ministers signed a memorandum on cooperation in education, science, culture, youth and sports. A delegation of Israeli business leaders was expected to attend an economic forum later in the day, which Kajzer said could result in new investment.

The opening has also exposed sharp divisions in Ljubljana. The Freedom Movement of former Prime Minister Robert Golob and the Left party submitted a parliamentary motion on Wednesday to impeach Jansa, saying his government was conducting foreign policy exclusively in the interest of Israel. Student movements, a left-wing opposition party and pro-Palestinian groups scheduled protests for Wednesday evening.

For Slovenia, a small Alpine member of NATO and the European Union, the shift marks a deliberate break from the more outspoken pro-Palestinian posture that made the country an outlier under the previous liberal government. With the new embassy, Jansa is signalling that Israel will be treated as a strategic partner, not a diplomatic inconvenience.