After pro-Israel PM forms government, Sa’ar says Israel to open embassy in Slovenia

FM Sa’ar hails Janez Jansa as ‘a clear and steadfast friend of Israel,’ following years of strained ties between Jerusalem and Ljubljana under previous pro-Palestinian premier

By Nava Freiberg

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Today, 6:46 am

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Nava Freiberg is The Times of Israel's deputy diplomatic correspondent.

After Slovenia’s parliament approved the formation of a government under newly elected Prime Minister Janez Jansa, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced Thursday that Israel will open an embassy in the Central European country for the first time, after years of sour ties with outgoing premier Robert Golob.

Since relations were established in 1992, Israel’s diplomatic affairs in Slovenia have been handled via the embassy in Vienna, which has served as a non-resident mission.

“Janez Jansa is a clear and steadfast friend of Israel, and his election creates a unique opportunity to advance bilateral relations between our countries, which have been at a low point in recent years due to the hostility of the previous government in Ljubljana,” Sa’ar said in a statement, adding that the Foreign Ministry will “act without delay” to implement the embassy opening.

Jansa, a former nationalist premier, is known as an admirer of US President Donald Trump and a supporter of Israel. After Golob failed to clinch a deal following parliamentary elections in March, he was able to strike a coalition deal to form a government.

Under Golob, Slovenia recognized a Palestinian state in May 2024, and is one of the few EU countries to charge that Israel’s war against the Hamas terror group in Gaza was a “genocide,” a claim Israel has strongly rejected.

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Slovenian public broadcaster RTV was the first in Europe to demand Israel’s exclusion from the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest and boycotted it in 2026, citing the ongoing war in Gaza.

Slovenia also became the first EU country to impose a travel ban on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last September.

Jansa, meanwhile, previously said that if he returns to power, he will relocate Slovenia’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and rescind Ljubljana’s recognition of Palestine.

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