The Slovenian government has approved a decision to recognize the state of Palestine, Prime Minister Robert Golob announced on Thursday.
This makes the former Yugoslav republic, the fourth European state to do so following Spain, Norway and Ireland.
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The move drew swift condemnation from Israel.
RT reports: The country’s parliament must ratify the government’s decision, but it is widely seen as a formality as none of the parties in the 90-seat National Assembly are expected to oppose it. Slovenian lawmakers will vote on Tuesday, parliament speaker Urska Klakocar Zupancic has announced.
“The government has made a decision to recognize the State of Palestine as an independent and sovereign state within the borders from 1967, or the borders that the parties involved should agree on in a future peace agreement,” Golob told reporters after a government meeting in Ljubljana.
The prime minister emphasized that the resolution was not aimed against Israel but was an “a message of peace.”
Although the question of Palestine’s recognition was not on Slovenia’s government agenda on Thursday, Golob said he had pushed for a swift decision due to deadly attacks conducted by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on the Gazan city of Rafah in the past few days.
Slovenian President Natasa Pirc Musar and Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon have supported the decision, saying there is “no reason” for further delays.
“The war is escalating, there are no negotiations [over] Gaza,” Fajon said ahead of the government meeting.
