In EU first, Slovenia bans weapons trade with Israel; Israeli official: A meaningless move

Slovenia says it will ban all weapons trade with Israel over the war in Gaza, in what it says is a first by an EU nation.

Slovenia’s government has frequently criticized Israel over the conflict, and last year moved to recognize a Palestinian state as part of efforts to end the fighting in Gaza as soon as possible.

“Slovenia is the first European country to ban the import, export and transit of weapons to and from Israel,” the government says in a statement. It says it is moving ahead “independently” because the bloc is “unable to adopt concrete measures… due to internal disagreements and disunity.”

In response, an unnamed Israeli official tells Ynet: “There is no defense procurement in Slovenia. We don’t buy so much as a pin from them. They simply decided on an embargo for the sake of the media, because they can, but it’s completely meaningless.”

The Slovenian statement says that amid the devastating war in Gaza, where “people… are dying because humanitarian aid is systematically denied them,” it is the “duty of every responsible state to take action, even if it means taking a step ahead of others.”

It adds that the government has not issued any permits for the export of military weapons and equipment to Israel since October 2023 because of the conflict.

Early in July, Slovenia — also in an EU first — banned two far-right Israeli ministers from entering the country. It declared both Israelis “persona non grata,” accusing them of inciting “extreme violence and serious violations of the human rights of Palestinians” with “their genocidal statements.”

In June 2024, Slovenia’s parliament passed a decree recognizing Palestinian statehood, following in the steps of Ireland, Norway and Spain, in moves partly fueled by condemnation of Israel’s offensive in Gaza after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel.