Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

Israeli FM hails Slovenia Statehood Day amid thaw in ties

Gideon Sa’ar congratulated the country’s leaders, citing a “new chapter” in relations between Ljubljana and Jerusalem.

Pedestrians cool off at "The area with Ljubljana's own weather" in Preseren Square in Ljubljana on June 24, 2026. Photo by Jure Makovec/AFP via Getty Images.
Pedestrians cool off at “The area with Ljubljana’s own weather” in Preseren Square in Ljubljana on June 24, 2026. Photo by Jure Makovec/AFP via Getty Images.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Thursday congratulated Slovenia’s leadership and people on Statehood Day, signaling warming ties following a recent political shift in Ljubljana.

In a post on X, Sa’ar extended “warmest congratulations” to Prime Minister Janez Janša, Foreign Minister Tanja Kajzer and the Slovenian public, adding that he looks forward to “strengthening the bonds between our nations” and opening “a new chapter in Israeli-Slovenian relations.”

The message comes as Slovenia’s new government has reversed several policies of its predecessor, including scrapping anti-Israel sanctions and an arms embargo, and as Israel prepares to open its first-ever embassy in the country.

See more from JNS Staff
Hamas said it is willing to move forward with second stage of the U.S.-brokered framework, calling on Washington to exert pressure on Jerusalem.
“We can and know how to stand our ground—even against our best friends when necessary,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“I’m happy that the University of Washington, for literally the first time ever, has made the correct decision to not have an America-hating communist spread his hatred and terrible ideology to young people at our taxpayer funded universities,” Republican state representative Travis Couture told JNS.
The student plaintiffs are “very, very happy” with the settlement, and the college’s statement is an “amazing change,” Lori Lowenthal Marcus of the Deborah Project told JNS.