His predecessor, Robert Golob, of the left-wing Freedom Movement,  was among the most hostile to Israel in the European Union.

 

In Slovenia, the return to power of the ultra-conservative Janez Jansa is expected to bring an end to the country’s pro-Palestinian diplomacy.

His candidacy was formally submitted to parliament last week almost two months after the elections. The leader of the Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) got  backing from 51 lawmakers in the 90-seat assembly, becoming Prime Minister last Friday. He is expected to lead a coalition including right-leaning parties and an anti-establishment newcomer party.

Jansa, 67, has already served as head of government three times since 2004.

This will put an end to the pro-Palestinian diplomacy practiced by Ljubjana since the war in Gaza. 4.

An admirer of U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Jansa has always opposed the foreign policy of the outgoing center-left Prime Minister, Robert Golob, who had made a name for himself in Europe by having Palestinian flags hoisted on the facades of official buildings in Ljubljana or by deciding to recognize Palestine in 2024.

According to experts, he is going to do a complete about-face and adopt a pro-Israel foreign policy more typical of former communist countries.

Golob of the left-wing Freedom Movement was among the most hostile to Israel in the European Union. His government imposed a ban on importing goods made by Israelis from Judea and Samaria, endorsed South Africa’s disputed genocide lawsuit against Israel and the International Court of Justice, and said it would comply with the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Last month, Slovenia together with Spain and Ireland urged the EU to  suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement ouncil because of the situation in Gaza, the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) and Lebanon, but Germany rejected the call and said  this would be “inappropriate.’’

Slovenia didn’t broadcast this year’s Eurovision song contest, which took place last week in Vienna, because of Israel’s participation. Instead, the Slovenian television network RTV decided to broadcast the film series “Voices of Palestine,” consisting of Palestinian documentaries and feature films.