Israel is opening its first resident embassy in Slovenia on Wednesday, underscoring a sharp thaw in relations since conservative Prime Minister Janez Janša returned to power after March’s election. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar is visiting Ljubljana, Slovenia’s capital, for two days to inaugurate the mission, meet Slovenian Foreign Minister Tone Kajzer and sign a memorandum on cultural cooperation. Israel had previously been represented in Slovenia by a non-resident ambassador. Janša’s center-right government has reversed measures introduced under former liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob, including a ban on imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and entry restrictions on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and two ministers. It has also lifted an arms embargo on Israel. Janša has said he wants to freeze Slovenia’s 2024 recognition of Palestine, though that step remains legally and politically contested. The opening has prompted planned protests. Golob’s party called it “a return of the favor” for alleged Israeli support during the March election, when authorities investigated claims that private Israeli intelligence firm Black Cube was behind secretly recorded videos alleging corruption in Golob’s government. Janša has acknowledged meeting a Black Cube official but denied being behind the video.
