Slovenia bans arms trade with Israel over its actions in Gaza

Slovenia Prime Minister Robert Golob addresses the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia — Slovenia has announced that it will ban the import, export and transit of all weapons to and from Israel in response to the country’s actions in Gaza.

Slovenia, which has often criticized Israel over reported atrocities in Gaza, called the ban, announced late Thursday, “the first such move by a European Union member state.”

Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob has said on multiple occasions that Slovenia would act unilaterally in the absence of concerted EU action, the state STA news agency reported.

“The EU is currently incapable of completing this task due to internal discord and disunity,” the government press release said. “The result thereof is shameful: People in Gaza are dying because they are systematically denied humanitarian aid. They are dying under rubble, without access to drinking water, food and basic health care.”

Tiny Slovenia has almost no arms trade with Israel and the decision to ban weapons trade with Israel is mainly a diplomatic message meant to step up pressure as international outrage over Israel’s conduct and images of starvation in Gaza.

Slovenia’s embargo on arms to Israel is a “symbolic but nevertheless important measure,” said Zain Hussain, arms transfers researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

The ban follows other steps by the government of Slovenia. It banned two far-right Israeli ministers from entering the country in July, accusing them of inciting “extreme violence and serious violations of the human rights of Palestinians” with “genocidal statements.”

“Slovenia’s decision to cut off arms transfers to Israel, which is using imported weapons against civilians in Gaza in a manner that clearly violates international law and basic human decency, is an important breakthrough,” said Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, which has lobbied the U.S. government to cut Israel’s supplies of American war material.

In June 2024, Slovenia’s parliament passed a decree recognizing Palestinian statehood, following in the steps of Ireland, Norway and Spain.

Last year, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government suspended exports of some weapons to Israel because they could be used to break international law. Spain says it halted arms sales to Israel in October 2023. The Netherlands has also cracked down on weapons trade with Israel, and there are court cases in France and Belgium around weapons trade with Israel. But none of the three has announced a blanket ban on all trade and transit similar to what Slovenia announced.

Ali Zerdin, The Associated Press