Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša after Slovenia blocked a joint EU statement condemning Israel’s plans to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank.
The statement concerned the E1 settlement project, where Israel has issued a tender for more than 1,200 housing units. Slovenia was the only EU member state not to support the joint statement, meaning EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas could issue the condemnation only in her own name.
Netanyahu publicly praised Janša for what he called his “courage and clarity”, accusing the EU of hypocrisy and arguing that it was wrong to object to Israeli settlement construction.
The EU's position, however, is that Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including E1, are illegal under international law. Kallas said the E1 project would divide the West Bank and isolate East Jerusalem.
Janša defended Slovenia’s decision, saying the country had removed itself from what he described as a cycle of “disproportionate condemnations” of Israel. His government has also reversed several policies adopted by Slovenia’s previous centre-left government, including restrictions on Israeli goods from settlements and other measures against Israel.
The shift has drawn criticism from Slovenia’s opposition, which argues that Janša’s government is abandoning the country’s previous position on Palestinian rights and international law.
