The EU nation of some 2 million people, which recognized a Palestinian state last year, has been a vocal critic of Israeli actions in Gaza and Thursday’s move against Netanyahu was apparently designed to underscore the country’s policies.
Slovenia already had barred Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from entering the country and imposed an arms embargo on Israel.
Spain has cancelled a major defence deal with Israel for supplying advanced aerial technology for its Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet, news website Haaretz reported on Thursday.
This €207m contract cancellation marks the third defence deal to be terminated by Spain, the report said.
Spain on Wednesday approved a law mandating „total“ arms embargo on Israel as part of measures aimed at stopping the genocide in Gaza.
(September 8, 2025)
Sumar had also called for Spain to break relations with Israel or at least recalling the ambassador, but PSOE rejected this idea. Consequently, Sánchez has announced nothing regarding a diplomatic break. Sources from the Foreign Ministry explain that such a move, also advocated by the party Podemos, would be counterproductive and harmful for Palestine. Spain, they emphasize, supports a two-state solution and therefore seeks to contribute to resolving the conflict. Breaking ties would exclude Spain from that process. Indeed, no Arab country — especially those critical of Israel — has severed relations, nor has the Palestinian Authority.
(August 4, 2025)
Gathered online for their regular Mashreq/Maghreb Working Party and despite mounting pressure on Israel over the hunger crisis in Gaza, the 27 EU diplomats still couldn’t reach any qualified majority on a European Commission proposal to cut Israel from partial access to the EU‘s €95 billion Horizon Europe research fund.
“The situation has not changed,” one EU diplomat said, referring to a formal meeting of EU ambassadors last week which also failed to agree to the Commission’s proposal. The diplomat said the issue was now in the hands of the EU’s foreign affairs ministers, who will meet informally on 29 August.
(August 6, 2025)
Kühn von Burgsdorff served as EU ambassador to Palestinian occupied territories and the Gaza Strip between January 2020 and July 2023. He was recently a coordinator of a letter sent by 27 former EU ambassadors – and subsequently endorsed by 58 – to heads of governments and EU institutions on July 10, calling for actions against Israel due to the ongoing situations in Gaza and in the West Bank.
(July 23, 2025)
The world will remember how the EU and its member states respond to this catastrophic tragedy.
Silence and neutrality in the face of genocide constitute complicity. Inaction emboldens perpetrators and betrays every principle the Union and its member states claim to uphold.
While continuing to call unceasingly for the return of the hostages, a permanent ceasefire and the end to the war, the European Union, long a champion of human rights and the rule of law, must act now in the name of international law, humanity, and justice for the Palestinian people — or risk forfeiting its credibility, influence and moral standing in the world.
Slovenia on Thursday imposed an embargo on exports, imports and transit of arms to Israel, two weeks after it declared Israeli ministers persona non grata, the state news agency STA reported citing a government statement.
The measure was announced by Prime Minister Robert Golob after a government session.
Ljubljana said it decided to act independently, as the bloc has not yet taken action against Israel over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.