A few days after Spain, Ireland and Norway, Slovenia is another European country that has recognised Palestine as a state. “Dear Palestinian people, today’s final decision is a message of hope and peace. We believe that only a two-state solution can lead to lasting peace in the Middle East,” the Slovenian Foreign Ministry quoted chief diplomat Tanja Fajon as saying on the news platform X on Wednesday night. “Slovenia will continue to work tirelessly on security for both nations, Palestinians and Israelis.”
Palestine is already recognized as a state by a number of countries. However, this does not apply to the most influential Western nations such as the USA and Great Britain, nor to the majority of EU states such as Germany. Slovenia says it is the 147th country in the world to recognize Palestine as a sovereign state. Israel’s government, on the other hand, has recently condemned the recognition of the state of Palestine by more and more countries as a “reward for terrorism.”
Recognition by Slovenia was preceded by parliamentary intrigue in Ljubljana. The opposition SDS party of former Prime Minister Janez Jansa first withdrew a motion for a referendum on the recognition of Palestine and then submitted a new one. The conservative opposition wanted to delay the vote on the recognition proposed by the center-left government in parliament by at least 30 days.
However, by interpreting the procedural rules differently, the government coalition managed to schedule a vote on Tuesday, reported the STA news agency. The proposal was ultimately accepted unanimously. The opposition boycotted the vote.