By: G. B.
Slovenia returns from Jordan proud of the strong gratitude from key Arab partners for Slovenia’s resolute efforts for peace in the Middle East and two humanitarian initiatives to aid the Palestinian population, the government announced yesterday.
Prime Minister Dr Robert Golob addressed the attendees at the international conference “Call to Action: Urgent Humanitarian Response for Gaza”, which took place in Jordan these days. In his opening remarks, he thanked the hosts and all UN agencies for their assistance and support to the population in Gaza: “The recent events in Gaza surpass even the wildest imagination.”
“How can each of us, as individuals or as a community, do more? How can we all contribute to alleviating the suffering of innocent people? How can we contribute to peace,” Prime Minister Dr Golob emotionally addressed the international community. He added that Slovenia is not the largest or the richest country in the world, but that was not an excuse not to act and not to act decisively. Slovenia acted decisively and yesterday allocated 2.5 million euros for humanitarian programmes to help the Palestinian people, the government also announced.
“Slovenia is a member of the European Union and a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. Our voice has been heard, our voice in the name of the Palestinian people,” the Prime Minister said, urging other countries to show solidarity with the Palestinian people. “Not all calls from the international community have been heeded, but this will not stop us from continuing to call even more decisively,” concluded Prime Minister Dr Golob.
On this occasion, Golob also met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and wished him determination and perseverance in implementing the peace plan for the Middle East. Before departing, the Prime Minister met with Jordanian King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Prime Minister Dr Golob thanked King Abdullah II for the support and efforts of the Kingdom of Jordan to maintain stability and security in the region. A new humanitarian initiative is also being agreed upon, where Slovenia will take on the role of coordinator and initiator. More details will be known in the coming weeks. With President al-Sisi, they discussed the situation in the Middle East. The Prime Minister thanked President al-Sisi for the efforts of Egyptian diplomacy in negotiations between Israel and Hamas, and President al-Sisi expressed deep gratitude to Prime Minister Dr Golob for his determination and courage in recognising Palestine. They also talked about reviving the project for the rehabilitation of children from Gaza.
Nevertheless, after Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon, Prime Minister Golob has now also set out on the path “from core Europe to core Arabia”. After experiencing a significant setback in the European Parliament elections on Sunday, he still fancies himself a winner, behaving as if Hamas terrorism does not exist.
Incidentally, Jordan is the actual heir to British Palestine and received the majority of its territory east of the Jordan River (then called Transjordan) after the partition in 1948. Interestingly, it is not very keen on accepting refugees from Gaza.