Slovenia bars two far-right Israeli ministers over 'genocidal statements' - Region
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich will be declared persona non grata, the Slovenian government said in a statement, warning that their rhetoric has incited "extreme violence and serious violations of the human rights of Palestinians."
"This is the first measure of this nature in the EU," Slovenia's Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon said of the ban.
The far-right ministers, key allies in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, have faced widespread international condemnation for their "genocidal statements" on Israel's war in Gaza, as well as their inflammatory rhetoric concerning the occupation and expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank.
Smotrich, a prominent figure in Israel's ultra-nationalist government, in May declared that Gaza "will be entirely destroyed" and that its civilian population would "start to leave in great numbers to third countries"—remarks widely decried as advocating ethnic cleansing.
Smotrich, who resides in an illegal settlement in the occupied West Bank, has long championed the expansion of settlements in defiance of international law and called for the full annexation of Palestinian territory.
Ben Gvir, known for his extremism, has repeatedly provoked outrage with statements challenging Jerusalem's religious status quo. Last year, he proposed building a Jewish synagogue within the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound—widely seen as an attack on Muslim sovereignty over one of Islam's holiest sites.
In June, Australia, Canada, Britain, New Zealand, and Norway imposed sanctions on Smotrich and Ben Gvir in response to their extreme views and actions.
On May 21, President Nataša Pirc Musar in an address to the European parliament urged the EU to take stronger action, condemning "the genocide" in Gaza.
Slovenia was in May among six European countries to say that they "firmly reject any demographic or territorial change in Gaza" after Israel announced plans to intensify its genocidal assault on the Palestinian territory.
Last year, Slovenia also formally recognized a Palestinian state, following in the footsteps of Ireland, Norway, and Spain—actions driven by a strong condemnation of Israel's brutal war and suffocating blockade of Gaza. Israeli forces have now killed over 58,000 Palestinians in the besieged enclave.
Nearly 150 countries recognize a Palestinian state.
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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