In response to Israel’s ongoing conflict with Gaza, Slovenia has become the first member of the European Union to outlaw all arms trade.
Two weeks after the state news agency STA reported that Israel’s ministers were declared persona non grata, the state news agency STA reported.
Robert Golob, the prime minister, made the announcement following a Thursday government meeting.
The government stated in a statement that Slovenia is the first European nation to outlaw the import, export, and transit of weapons from Israel.
Because the EU was unable to “adopt concrete measures… due to internal disagreements and disunity,” it claimed it was moving forward “independently.”
Every responsible state had a duty to act, even if it meant moving one step ahead of others, according to the statement. “People are dying because humanitarian aid is systematically denied them,” it said in the Gaza war.
Due to the conflict, the government hasn’t issued any permits for the export of military equipment to Israel since October 2023, according to the statement.
Two far-right Israeli ministers were prohibited from entering Slovenia in early July, a first for the EU.
Both Israelis were labeled as “persona non grata” and accused of engaging in “extreme violence and grave violations of Palestinian human rights” as a result of their statements.
Following in the footsteps of Ireland, Norway, and Spain, Slovenia’s parliament approved a statehood in June 2024, in part as a result of Israel’s condemnation of Gaza bombing.
Additionally, France, the UK, and Canada announced last week that they might grant a Palestinian state recognition. Israel decried these announcements, calling them Hamas’s way of recompense for its 20-day assault on Israeli territory on October 7, 2023.
Human rights organizations and UN experts have compared Israel’s nearly 22-month conflict to a genocide in Gaza.
More than 60, 000 Palestinians have died as a result of Israel’s military campaign, with more at risk of dying from hunger as a result of the territory’s blockade.
The International Court of Justice has heard arguments from a number of nations, including South Africa, that Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza.
Source: Aljazeera
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