Slovenian president raises Palestinian flag at palace after new PM takes it down at parliament

Slovenia’s President Natasa Pirc Musar accuses Israel of “genocide” against Palestinians and says she is raising the Palestinian flag at her palace, after a pro-Israel government was appointed and took down the tricolor at the country’s parliament earlier this week.

“The genocide against Palestinians has not been brought to an end, and the people of Gaza and the West Bank are not living in peace and dignity. The Palestinian flag hoisted on the façade of the Presidential Palace, where it will remain for one week and thereafter be displayed within the Palace as a reminder to all who visit my office, carries an even broader significance,” she writes on X.

“It stands as a symbol of grave violations of international humanitarian law and human rights, not only in Palestine but also elsewhere around the world. It is a simple call for respect for a fundamental principle of civilization: human dignity — for all,” she says.

The genocide against Palestinians has not been brought to an end, and the people of Gaza and the West Bank are not living in peace and dignity. The Palestinian flag hoisted on the façade of the Presidential Palace, where it will remain for one week and thereafter be displayed…

— Nataša Pirc Musar (@nmusar) June 6, 2026

The previous prime minister Robert Golob and his government had increasingly tense ties with Israel over its war against Hamas in Gaza. It recognized a Palestinian state in May 2024, becoming one of the few EU countries to claim Israel’s actions in Gaza amounted to a “genocide,” a claim that Israel has strongly rejected.

The new Prime Minister Jansa, a former nationalist premier, is known as an admirer of US President Donald Trump and a supporter of Israel. Shortly after Slovenia’s parliament approved the formation of a government Jansa this week, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced that Israel will open an embassy in the Central European country.

However, the current president, Musar, who has served since 2022, is from a center-left party and is closer ideologically to Golob.