By: Sara Kovač (Nova24tv)
Slovenia received its first resident Israeli embassy. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar arrived in Ljubljana for the opening, and the event was accompanied by political pressure, protests, and calls for a tougher stance toward Israel coming from parts of the transitional left, which is increasingly using the topic to mobilise its voters, conduct ideological battles with the government, and strengthen anti‑Israel political rhetoric. We spoke with publicist and political analyst Boštjan M. Turk about the significance of the embassy opening, the shift in Slovenia’s foreign policy, and the increasingly sharp rhetoric of the Slovenian left, which is evidently stoking hatred toward Jews.
The analyst assesses the opening of the first resident Israeli embassy in Slovenia as an important foreign‑policy shift and a sign that Slovenia, after a period of cooled relations with Israel, is once again moving closer to the Western sphere. He says that during the previous government, foreign policy was marked by elements of the former non‑aligned policy and ideological reflexes of the previous system. Today’s rapprochement with Israel is therefore Slovenia’s return to the Western world.
“The previous foreign policy of Robert Golob’s government relived the reflexes of self‑managed socialism and Titoism and as such gravitated toward Israel’s natural opponents. In this way Slovenia isolated itself not only in Europe but also in the region of the former Yugoslavia. Let us recall that both Croatia and Serbia have a very positive attitude toward Israel. With this, we are returning to normality, which is what the current government is dealing with anyway,” Turk said.
On the protests: “The left says one thing, thinks another, and does a third”
The embassy opening is also accompanied by calls for protests. The 8 March Institute announced a protest against the opening, and parts of the Slovenian left are demanding the closure of the Israeli embassy, the termination of economic relations with Israel, and even Slovenia’s exit from NATO. Turk sees such actions as political manoeuvring. “The left says one thing, thinks another, and does a third,” he says. He also recalled the vote on Slovenia joining South Africa’s lawsuit against Israel. In his view, that vote revealed the attitude of part of Slovenian politics toward Israel.
Turk understands today’s activities of the left primarily as an attempt to gain political points. “They have these extremes that flirt with the darkest things in history. What they are doing is antisemitism,” Turk argues. He also drew a historical parallel with Nazism: “Who the true bearer of antisemitism was is well known, the Nazis and Hitler. The Nazis were national Nazis, while they are international socialists.”
Graffiti against Israelis are most likely the work of NGOs
Meanwhile, graffiti such as “Israelis are not welcome” and other messages directed against Israel and Jews are appearing in Slovenia. We asked Turk what he believes is fuelling such hostile rhetoric and whether the Slovenian left contributes to it. “Of course. Who is writing this?” Turk said. According to him, some of these activities are carried out by organised NGOs, which he believes may even be funded with public money. “These are written by organised and perhaps even budget‑funded NGOs, richly supplied,” he said.
Turk also mentioned connections with George Soros’s foundations and added that this is part of a broader organised network. “These are unified commands, all paid. No one does this out of conviction,” he concluded.