Ljubljana, Slovenia — Slovenia recognized a Palestinian state on Tuesday after its parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of the move, following recent steps by three other European countries.
The Slovenian government supported a movement last week recognize a Palestinian state and had sent the proposal to parliament for final approval, necessary for the decision to take effect.
On Tuesday, Parliament voted 52 in favor and no one against recognition in the 90-seat parliament. The other legislators were not present at the vote.
“Dear Palestinian people, Slovenia’s final decision is a message of hope and peace,” Slovenia’s Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon said in X. “We believe that only a two-state solution can lead to lasting peace in the #Middle East. “Slovenia will continue to work tirelessly for the security of both Palestinian and Israeli nations.”
Slovenia’s decision came days later Spain, Norway and Ireland recognized a State of Palestine, which was condemned by Israel. Previously, only seven members of the 27-nation EU officially recognized a Palestinian state. Five of them are former Eastern bloc countries that announced their recognition in 1988, like Cyprus, before joining the EU. Sweden’s recognition came in 2014.
“We started talking to our allies about recognizing Palestine in February of this year,” Prime Minister Robert Golob told lawmakers before Tuesday’s vote. “At that time, the assessment was: the time has not yet come… we warn that we, Europe, have the… duty to act.”
The ruling coalition led by Golob has a comfortable majority in Slovenia’s assembly and the vote was expected to be a formality.
Golob also evoked Slovenia’s independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991 in his remarks to parliament.
“We Slovenians have dreamed of this right for 1,000 years. We got it 33 years ago,” Golob said. “Unfortunately, the Palestinian nation has not yet received this right.”
Slovenia’s main opposition party, the Slovenian Democratic Party, opposes recognition. The right-wing party demanded a referendum on the issue that would delay the vote, but on Tuesday withdrew the offer before resubmitting another that was rejected by parliament.
Slovenia began the recognition process in early May, but said it would wait until the situation in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza improved. Golob has explained that he was speeding up the process in reaction to Israel’s latest attacks on Rafahthat have caused the flight of more than 1 million Palestinians.
Israel launched the assault following the Hamas-led attack on October 7 in which militants stormed across the Gaza border into Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages.
Since then, Israel’s air and ground attacks have killed more than 36,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Ministry of Healththat does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
More than 140 countries recognize a Palestinian state: more than two-thirds of the United Nations.
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