Israel Opens First Embassy in Slovenia as Jansa Government Reverses Course on Relations

Israel opened its first embassy in Slovenia on Wednesday as Prime Minister Janez Jansa’s government moved to strengthen ties with Jerusalem and dismantle measures imposed by the country’s previous center-left administration.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.

Israel formally opened its first embassy in Slovenia on Wednesday, marking a significant expansion of diplomatic ties as the country’s new right-wing government moves rapidly to reverse the policies toward Israel pursued by its predecessor.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar traveled to Ljubljana for the opening and met Slovenian Foreign Minister Tone Kajzer as the two governments sought to deepen political, economic and cultural cooperation.

Saar called the occasion a “historic day” and described Israel as “the only democracy in the Middle East and almost the only real and true partner of Europe,” according to Slovenia’s STA news agency.

“Moreover, we are defending Europe, Europe´s security, directly and indirectly,” Saar said, adding that “Israel is the fortress on the front line for Western civilization.”

Kajzer said the embassy would serve as the beginning of a broader relationship between the two countries.

“We want today´s opening to mark the beginning of a period of greater dialogue, stronger cooperation and, above all, more tangible results for the benefit of our people,” Kajzer said, according to a Slovenian Foreign Ministry post on X.

The two foreign ministers also signed a multi-sector cooperation agreement covering education, science, culture, youth and sports, according to STA. A business forum was held in Ljubljana as part of the visit, adding an economic component to the renewed diplomatic engagement.

The embassy opening was met by opposition outside the new diplomatic facility, where hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered to protest Saar’s visit and demand that the embassy be closed.

The diplomatic expansion comes as Israel faces new pressure elsewhere in Europe and North America over Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. One day before the Ljubljana opening, the United Kingdom banned trade with Israeli settlements, while France and Canada announced plans to take similar measures.

Those actions represented a public rebuke of Israeli policy by governments traditionally considered close partners of Israel and added to diplomatic tensions stemming from the Gaza war.

Israel responded sharply to the British action, announcing that it would close the British consulate in Jerusalem.

Slovenia, however, has moved in the opposite direction since Jansa returned to power in early June.

The previous center-left government led by former Prime Minister Robert Golob had positioned Slovenia among the European Union’s most outspoken critics of Israel. Under Golob, Slovenia recognized a Palestinian state in 2024 and subsequently adopted several measures targeting Israel in 2025.

Those steps included a prohibition on imports originating from Israeli settlements, an arms embargo and entry restrictions targeting senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Jansa moved quickly after taking office to dismantle that approach.

One of his first symbolic actions was removing the Palestinian flag from the Slovenian government building, where it had been displayed alongside the flags of Slovenia, the European Union and Ukraine. His government subsequently eliminated the measures that the previous administration had imposed against Israel.

Jansa said this week that his government was attempting to repair what he characterized as damage inflicted by the Golob administration.

“The economic damage alone due to the anti-Semitic policies of the Golob coalition is enormous,” Jansa said on X.

The policy reversal has produced a sharp domestic political dispute.

Golob accused Jansa of moving Slovenia away from established principles of international law and said the opening of the Israeli embassy was part of that broader change.

The embassy opening marks “another step in the same direction of shifting away from international law,” Golob told The Associated Press.

His Freedom Movement party said Wednesday that it would seek the removal of Jansa and Kajzer through Parliament.

The confrontation follows another dispute in August, when media reports said Slovenia had pushed the European Union to soften a statement criticizing Israeli settlements. The episode drew criticism from Jansa’s political opponents at home while receiving praise from Israeli officials.

Kajzer rejected the characterization that Slovenia had obstructed EU action.

“We never blocked anything,” he told the AP, adding that Slovenia is “constructively contributing to the discussion.”

The dramatic shift in foreign policy has also generated debate over whether Jansa’s approach reflects broader Slovenian public sentiment.

Andraz Zorko, a Slovenian political analyst, said the government’s increasingly supportive posture toward Israel appears to diverge from the views held by much of the population in the traditionally moderate Alpine nation of roughly 2 million people.

“The majority of Slovenian public is either against Israel or in some kind of neutral position,” Zorko said.

Before Wednesday’s opening, Israel did not maintain a dedicated embassy in Slovenia. Israeli diplomatic affairs involving the country had instead been handled by the Israeli Embassy in Vienna, Austria.

Establishing a permanent mission in Ljubljana therefore represents both a practical diplomatic expansion and a visible symbol of the changes underway since Jansa took office.

The timing also highlights the widening differences among European governments over relations with Israel. While Britain, France and Canada are moving toward economic restrictions involving Israeli settlements, Slovenia’s new government has removed restrictions, expanded bilateral cooperation and welcomed Israel’s first resident embassy in the country.

Wednesday’s agreements on education, science, culture, youth and sports, together with the Ljubljana business forum, suggest both governments intend the new diplomatic presence to extend beyond political symbolism and into sustained economic and institutional cooperation.

For Jansa’s government, the opening marks another step in its effort to replace the policies of the previous administration with a substantially closer relationship with Israel. For Jerusalem, the new embassy provides a permanent diplomatic foothold in Slovenia at a time when relations with several other longtime Western partners have become increasingly strained.