EditSlovenia’s Israel policy U-turn sparks protests as embassy opens in Ljubljana
Hundreds of Slovenian citizens joined the protest, including Milan Kučan, Slovenia’s first president
Israel has opened its first permanent embassy in Slovenia, cementing a dramatic shift in Ljubljana’s policy towards Israel under Prime Minister Janez Janša and triggering protests demanding the closure of the diplomatic mission.
The Israeli embassy in Ljubljana was inaugurated on Wednesday in a ceremony attended by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and his Slovenian counterpart, Tone Kajzer.
The opening of Israel’s first resident diplomatic mission in Slovenia comes only months after Janša’s centre-right government reversed the strongly pro-Palestinian policy of the previous administration led by Robert Golob. It also underlines Ljubljana’s increasingly unusual position within the EU at a time when several European governments have stepped up pressure on Israel over the war in Gaza and the expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank.
During Wednesday’s ceremony, activists from the Slovenian student association Iskra and the Movement for Palestinian Rights staged a demonstration under the slogan “No to the genocidal embassy”. Protesters gathered outside the building housing the new Israeli mission before marching towards the hotel where the official opening ceremony took place.
Hundreds of Slovenian citizens joined the protest, including Milan Kučan, Slovenia’s first president, according to the Slovenian edition of regional broadcaster N1,
Demonstrators called for the immediate closure of the Israeli embassy and for Slovenia to cut all diplomatic, economic and educational ties with Israel.
“You cannot simply kill people everywhere with impunity. Israel is carrying out apartheid and the displacement of people in the occupied territories, as well as genocide in Gaza,” one participant in Wednesday’s protest told N1.
The opening ceremony, however, was intended to signal precisely the opposite direction in bilateral relations.
Kajzer said the two countries wanted to strengthen political dialogue and cooperation, while Slovenia and Israel signed a cooperation programme covering education, science, culture, youth and sport until 2030. The visit was also the first by an Israeli foreign minister to Slovenia in 16 years.
The liberal Freedom Movement of former Prime Minister Robert Golob, joined by the Left party, on Wednesday submitted to parliament a proposal for impeachment of Janša, primarily over his government’s foreign policy which they said was exclusively in the interest of Israel.
From one of Israel’s sharpest EU critics to a diplomatic ally
The embassy opening reflects a broader foreign policy reversal following Janša’s return to power in June.
Under Golob, Slovenia had emerged as one of Israel’s most outspoken critics in the EU. His government recognised a Palestinian state in 2024 and later introduced a series of measures against Israel, including a ban on imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, restrictions on arms exports and entry bans targeting senior Israeli officials.
Slovenia lifts entry ban on Netanyahu as Janša government reverses Israel policy
Janša’s government has since dismantled those measures and presented its policy as a return to what it describes as a more “normal” and pragmatic foreign policy. One of its first symbolic moves was the removal of the Palestinian flag from the Slovenian government building, while the government subsequently scrapped the previous administration’s measures against Israel.
The change has also had consequences for EU diplomacy. Last month, Slovenia effectively blocked the EU from issuing a joint statement by all 27 member states condemning Israel’s plans to further expand settlements in the occupied West Bank, including the strategically significant E1 area. Because unanimity was required, the text was ultimately issued only in the name of EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
Slovenia’s Janša blocks joint EU condemnation of West Bank E1 settlement plans
Janša defended the decision, arguing that his government had removed Slovenia from what he called a “vicious circle” of disproportionate condemnations of Israel and accusing Brussels of applying double standards.
The move prompted sharp criticism at home, including from Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar, who argued that international law should not be applied selectively and that Ljubljana should support a clear European position against the expansion of settlements.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later publicly thanked Janša for blocking the EU statement, praising the Slovenian prime minister’s “courage and clarity”.
The inauguration of the embassy therefore offers a striking contrast with the broader direction of European policy towards Israel.
The ceremony in Ljubljana took place as Britain, France and Canada moved to increase pressure over Israeli settlements in the West Bank, with London announcing a ban on trade and services involving settlements. Israel responded by announcing retaliatory measures, including the closure of the British consulate in East Jerusalem.
Sources: N1, Reuters, BTA
Caption: Anti- Israel demonstrators protest in front Israeli embassy building against Israeli foreign minister’s visit, in Ljubljana, Slovenia, 09 September 2026. Gideon Saar is visiting Slovenia to open the first Israeli embassy in Ljubljana. EPA/ANTONIO BAT
Updated: September 10, 2026 - 10:50
