Prime Minister Golob expects EU action against Israel for human rights violations

Brussels – The EU must take decisive action against Israel due to human rights violations, said Prime Minister Robert Golob on Thursday before the EU summit in Brussels regarding the review of the EU-Israel association agreement. If it does not do so by mid-July, Slovenia will act together with like-minded countries, he emphasized.

“The fact is that the European Commission or the High Representative for Foreign Affairs of the Union has very clearly established that this is a violation of the second article of the association agreement, which means that Israel is violating human rights. And now it is our duty to act accordingly,” Golob said.

“Slovenia’s position is unequivocal. Since these are violations, we must be quick and decisive in our actions. The least we expect is the freezing of the trade part of the agreement,” he emphasized.

In this context, he expressed regret that some important EU member states opposing action have placed their own interests above the human rights of Palestinians.

If the EU does not act by mid-July, Slovenia and some other like-minded countries will have to do it themselves, the Prime Minister asserted. “We are ready to do this, as it is high time that we not only express solidarity but also actually put pressure on the Israeli government,” he added. He acknowledged, however, that the pressure would be significantly greater if action were taken at the EU level rather than by individual member states. (June 26)