Slovenia Pushes for Palestinian State Recognition Amid Rising Tensions

Slovenia's Prime Minister Robert Golob has endorsed a motion to recognize a Palestinian state and has sent the proposal to parliament for approval. This move follows similar actions by Spain, Norway, and Ireland and aims to expedite recognition in response to recent Israeli attacks on Rafah. Slovenia would become the 10th EU member to officially recognize Palestine.

Slovenia's government on Thursday endorsed a motion to recognize a Palestinian state and asked the parliament to do the same.

Prime Minister Robert Golob said that his government sent the recognition proposal to parliament, which could convene as early as next week.

Parliamentary approval is necessary for the move to take effect. Golob's ruling liberal coalition has a comfortable majority in the 90-member assembly and the vote should be a formality. The decision by Slovenia's government comes just two days after Spain, Norway and Ireland recognised a Palestinian state, a move that was condemned by Israel. With its move, Slovenia is set to become the 10th member of the 27-nation European Union to officially recognise a Palestinian state. Norway isn't an EU member, but its foreign policy is usually aligned with the bloc.

Slovenia first began the recognition process in early May, but said it would wait until the situation in the ongoing Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza improved.

Golob said this week that he was expediting the process in reaction to Israel's latest attacks on Rafah, which have caused more than 1 million Palestinians to flee. More than 140 countries recognise a Palestinian state — more than two-thirds of the United Nations.

The move to recognise a Palestinian state has caused relations between the EU and Israel to nosedive. Spain and Ireland are pushing for the EU to take measures against Israel for its continued attacks on Rafah in southern Gaza.

Israel launched the assault following the October 7 Hamas-led attack in which militants stormed across the Gaza border into Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostage. Israel's air and land attacks have since killed 36,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't distinguish between combatants and civilians.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)