Government declared Netanyahu a persona non grata
Ljubljana – The Slovenian government declared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a persona non grata on Thursday. As explained by the State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Neva Grašič, this follows similar measures against two extreme Israeli ministers, Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, adopted in July.
“It is known to the public that proceedings are underway against him for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. Among other things, the International Court of Justice already determined on July 19, 2024, that several Israeli policies and practices violate both international humanitarian law and human rights law,” Grašič said regarding the measure against Netanyahu. She also mentioned the report of the independent inquiry commission of the UN Human Rights Council, which found on September 16 that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians.
“With this action, Slovenia reaffirms its commitment to international law, universal human rights values, and principled and consistent foreign policy,” she added at a press conference after the government session. She noted that the adoption of this decision does not mean a measure against the Israeli people, but sends a clear message to the government of Israel that Slovenia expects consistent respect for the decisions of international courts and international humanitarian law.
Prime Minister Robert Golob announced at the end of June that Slovenia would act together with other like-minded member states if the EU did not adopt measures against Israel. He also stated that the pressure would be significantly greater if actions were taken at the EU level than if individual member states adopted measures. Slovenia was thus among the first European countries to also impose concrete sanctions against Israel. (September 25)
