Slovenia Declares Two Israeli Ministers Persona Non Grata
Ljubljana, July 18 (QNA) – Slovenia has declared two far-right Israeli cabinet ministers — National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich — persona non grata, becoming the first European Union country to take such a step.
Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon announced the decision at a press conference, stating that both ministers had made genocidal statements and inciting violence against Palestinians.
She emphasized that the move came after EU foreign ministers failed to reach consensus on joint action against
Israel over charges of human rights violations during a meeting held in Brussels on Tuesday.
“Today, the government adopted one of the first national
measures, which is to declare two Israeli ministers… unwanted
in the Republic of Slovenia,” Fajon told a news conference.
“This kind of measure is the first of its kind in the
European Union. We are breaking new ground,” she said.
She added that additional measures were under consideration, but did not provide further details.
Slovenia’s government issued a statement saying the
ministers “publicly advocate the expansion of illegal Israeli
settlements in the West Bank, the forced evictions of
Palestinians, and call for violence against the civilian
Palestinian population”.
The move aligns with similar actions taken in June by several Western nations, including the United Kingdom, Norway, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, which imposed sanctions on both Ben-Gvir and Smotrich for inciting violence against Palestinians. (QNA)