Slovenian Deputy PM: “There should be sovereignty in Samaria”

Two weeks after Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša imposed an unprecedented veto that blocked a European Union decision, and on the day Britain announced sanctions against Judea and Samaria, Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan held an extended diplomatic meeting in Ljubljana, the Slovenian capital, with Deputy Prime Minister Jernej Vrtovec, who also serves as transportation minister and energy minister.

During the meeting, the two discussed the strategic importance of Judea and Samaria to the security of the State of Israel and of the Western world as a whole.

Dagan presented the deputy prime minister with maps illustrating the strategic and security importance of the region and personally thanked him for the courageous position taken by the Slovenian government in blocking the European attempt to impose sanctions on Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Dagan presented the deputy prime minister with a pin bearing the emblem of Samaria.

The meeting in Slovenia also took place against the backdrop of a public confrontation among the country’s senior leadership, after Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar criticized the government’s policy toward Israel. Among other things, she clashed with the prime minister’s position regarding his meetings with Dagan and his support for Judea and Samaria.

During the meeting, Dagan said: “I would like to thank the Slovenian government, Prime Minister Janez Janša and the deputy prime minister for the courageous and just decision to exercise a veto in the European Union and block the attempt to impose sanctions on Judea and Samaria. Judea and Samaria are the defensive shield of the State of Israel and are of strategic importance to the security of the entire Western world. Israel is the front line, the forward position defending Europe.

“We cannot accept a situation in which Jews are punished simply because they live in the heart of the Land of Israel. The Slovenian government’s move is an important step against boycotts and delegitimization and in favor of truth, justice and the deep friendship between our peoples,” he added.

The Slovenian minister put on the Samaria pin and responded: “Slovenia and Israel are friendly countries, and we need to strengthen this spirit under our new conservative government. We share common values, we must defend those values, and I am certain that together we will achieve this.

“Regarding your efforts in Samaria, we express great solidarity with your country, and we would like to say that we support Samaria being under sovereignty.”