Slovenia becomes the first EU state to ban arms sales to Israel

Slovenia has banned the import, export, and transit of weapons to and from Israel, becoming the first European Union member state to do so in an effort to put pressure on the Israeli government over the war in Gaza. This was reported by Bloomberg.

Palestinians "are dying because they are systematically denied humanitarian aid," Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob said in announcing the move late Thursday. He added that Israel's actions are serious violations of international law.

This is not the first time that Slovenia has taken action against Israel before other members of the bloc, seeking to force Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop military operations in the Middle East, journalists noted.

This step is largely symbolic, as there is almost no arms trade between Israel and Slovenia. However, it would be more important for Israel if other European countries considered a similar step. Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom have significant trade in defense goods and services with Israel.

"It is the duty of every responsible state to take action, even if it means taking a step ahead of others," said Golob, who has repeatedly called for concrete measures against Israel at the EU level.

These efforts have failed due to "internal disagreements and disunity" on the issue in Brussels, he said.

• On July 17, Slovenia declared two Israeli ministers persona non grata the first in Europe.
• On July 29, it was reported that the Netherlands would ban two Israeli ministers from entering the country, recognizing them as "undesirable foreigners in the Schengen system".