Slovenia becomes first EU nation to impose arms embargo on Israel over Gaza assault
08/04/2025 / By Laura Harris
- Slovenia became the first EU country to impose a full arms embargo on Israel, banning the export, import and transit of military equipment, citing Israel’s violations of international humanitarian law and the worsening crisis in Gaza.
- The Slovenian government criticized the European Union’s “internal disagreements and disunity,” stating it had to act independently due to the bloc’s failure to implement coordinated measures against Israel.
- Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob emphasized that people in Gaza are dying from blocked humanitarian aid and lack of basic needs, declaring it a moral duty for Slovenia to take decisive action.
- In mid-July, Slovenia also banned Israeli Ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich from entering the country, accusing them of inciting violence and making “genocidal statements” against Palestinians.
- In June 2024, Slovenia joined Ireland, Norway and Spain in formally recognizing Palestinian statehood, reinforcing its stance as one of the EU’s most outspoken critics of Israel’s Gaza offensive.
Slovenia has become the first European Union (EU) member state to impose an arms embargo on Israel, citing the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the EU’s failure to take coordinated action.
In a statement released after a cabinet meeting, the Slovenian government said the ban includes both the export and import of military equipment, as well as the transit of weapons to or from Israel through Slovenian territory. Slovenia justified its unilateral decision by pointing to the “internal disagreements and disunity” within the European Union.
“At the initiative of Prime Minister Robert Golob, the Slovenian government confirmed a decision prohibiting the export and transit of military weapons and equipment from or through the Republic of Slovenia to Israel, or the import from Israel to Slovenia,” a government statement read on Thursday, July 31, following a cabinet meeting. The move prohibits all export, import and transit of military weapons and equipment between Slovenia and Israel. (Related: Turkey and 51 other nations call for global arms embargo on Israel.)
According to their official statement, the embargo is a direct response to Israel’s “serious violations of international humanitarian law.”
“The result is shameful: People in Gaza are dying because humanitarian aid is systematically prevented. They die under the rubble, without access to drinking water, food and basic health care. It is a complete disabling of humanitarian access and the conscious prevention of basic conditions for survival. In such a situation, it is the duty of any responsible state to take action, even if it means taking a step ahead of others.
Slovenia consistently and in principle advocates respect for international law and the protection of human rights.
In the coming weeks, Robert Golob prepared some national measures against the current Israeli government, whose actions represent serious violations of international humanitarian law,” the statement read.
Slovenia bans Israeli ministers and recognizes Palestinian State
Slovenia has emerged as one of Israel’s harshest critics in Europe.
The move follows Slovenia’s increasingly assertive stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict. In mid-July, the country banned two far-right Israeli ministers, Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, from entering the country. The government declared both officials persona non grata, accusing them of promoting “extreme violence and serious violations of the human rights of Palestinians” through their “genocidal statements.”
The diplomatic rebuke marked a major escalation in Ljubljana’s growing disapproval of Israeli policy, particularly its ongoing military operations in Gaza, which have triggered a humanitarian crisis and drawn mounting international condemnation.
The July travel ban followed Slovenia’s recognition of Palestinian statehood in June 2024 – another move that placed the country at the forefront of a shifting tide in European foreign policy. Slovenia joined Ireland, Norway and Spain in formally recognizing a Palestinian state, citing the urgency of ending the violence in Gaza and upholding international humanitarian law.
Slovenian President Natasa Pirc Musar and Golob have both been vocal in denouncing “genocide” being carried out against Palestinians, calling for stronger international accountability.
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