Israel opens its first embassy in Slovenia as Janša reverses Golob's line

Israel opened its first resident embassy in Slovenia on 9 September. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar flew in for the ceremony. His host was Tone Kajzer. Saar called it a historic day and a sign of commitment to a friendship he said now had a future. The two men signed a memorandum on education, science, culture, youth and sport.

Thousands of people walked past the hotel where the inauguration was held. Banners read "We stand together for peace and Palestine" and "Genocide is not self-defence." Student groups, a left opposition party and pro-Palestinian organisations called the march. The new mission sits in a country of two million that is inside both the European Union and NATO.

The turn is personal as well as diplomatic. Janez Janša became prime minister in July. On his first days he ordered the Palestinian flag taken down from the government building, where it had hung with the Slovenian, EU and Ukrainian flags. His cabinet then dropped the measures the Robert Golob government had built against Israel, including an arms embargo, travel bans on Israeli politicians and restrictions on goods from West Bank settlements.

From Vienna covering office to a desk in Ljubljana

The two states recognised each other in 1992. Slovenia has had an embassy in Tel Aviv since 1994. Israel ran Slovenia from Vienna. In June, after an Israir flight to Ljubljana was sent to Zagreb, Saar announced a resident embassy. Ruth Cohen-Dar was named the first ambassador in July.

Janša has also said he wants Slovenia's own embassy moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. That would be a first among EU members. President Nataša Pirc Musar and the confidence-and-supply party Resni.ca have said they oppose the move. It has not happened yet. The Israeli embassy in Ljubljana is the part that is already open.

The timing is the other half of the story. Britain, France and Canada have tightened rules on settlement goods. Israel is looking for European capitals that will still take a mission and a minister. Slovenia, after an election and a change of coalition, is one. Saar thanked Janša by name.

What the protest was about

Golob's government had described Israel's war in Gaza as genocide and had recognised a Palestinian state. Janša told Israeli media that recognition violated Slovenian law and that he would freeze it. The street in Ljubljana on Wednesday was answering that reversal, not the ribbon on a new brass plate.

Kajzer said the opening should start a period of more dialogue and more concrete results. That is the language foreign ministries use when the politics at home are louder than the communique. The embassy now exists. The argument about flags, Jerusalem and recognition is the argument the next Slovene election will still be having.