Slovenia Signals Policy Shift as New Prime Minister Meets Samaria Council Chief

Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša met in Ljubljana with Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan just days after taking office, in one of his first diplomatic meetings as premier. The meeting came after the new government moved to lift Slovenia’s boycott on goods from Judea and Samaria, and to end its arms embargo on Israel.

Dagan and Janša have kept in regular contact for years. After Slovenia’s recent election, they met again in Ljubljana before the new government was formed, and they have also held meetings and tours in Samaria and in the Slovenian capital.

The article says Slovenia was until recently considered one of Israel’s most hostile European states, alongside Spain and Ireland. Last May, Slovenia formally recognized a Palestinian state, and in the summer it imposed an unprecedented ban on imports from Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria and on arms trade with Israel. Slovenia is described as the first country in Europe to adopt such an official boycott decision.

At the meeting, Dagan thanked Janša, saying that “all of the people of Israel” appreciate him, especially the pioneers building Judea and Samaria. He added that they share the same values and mission and said, “We are together to fulfill it.” Janša responded, “May God bless the residents of Judea and Samaria. May the friendship between Israel and Slovenia last for many years.”