346th correspondence session of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia

6. 8. 2025

Government of the Republic of Slovenia

At today's correspondence session, the Government adopted guidelines for the adoption of economic measures in relation to the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory and instructed two ministries to take all necessary steps to prepare a proposal for measures. It also provided additional material assistance to the Palestinian civilian population affected by the armed conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Economic measures relating to the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory

The Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted guidelines for the adoption of economic measures in relation to the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory and instructed two ministries to take all necessary steps to prepare a proposal for measures.

In its Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024 on the legal consequences of Israel’s policies and practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, the International court of Justice in The Hague ruled that states are to distinguish, in their dealings with Israel, between the territory of the State of Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), occupied since 1967 (Paragraph 278), which includes the obligation to refrain from treaty relations with Israel in all cases in which it purports to act on behalf of the OPT or any part thereof, or in matters concerning the OPT or any part thereof, to refrain from entering into economic or trade relations with Israel in connection with the OPT or parts thereof that may entrench Israel’s unlawful presence in the OPT, and to take steps to prevent trade or investment relations that contribute to maintaining the illegal situation in the OPT.

Based on the Act Regulating Restrictive Measures Introduced or Implemented by the Republic of Slovenia in Accordance with Legal Acts and Decisions Adopted by International Organisations, with regard to the Advisory Opinion and in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2015/478 of the European Parliament and of the Council on common rules for imports, the Government proposes the ban on the import of goods originating from illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, including a prohibition on any attempts to circumvent the import ban.

The competent ministries – the Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia – will examine the possibility of banning the export of goods from the Republic of Slovenia to illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, while the Government of the Republic of Slovenia will decide on further measures.

Source: Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport and Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia

Government of the Republic of Slovenia allocates additional material aid in the form of food and blankets to Palestinian civilian population

The Government of the Republic of Slovenia today decided to provide material assistance via Jordan in the form of food and blankets to the Palestinian civilian population affected by the armed conflict between Israel and Hamas. The total value of the assistance, including transport, is estimated at EUR 879,490. The material aid will be transported by a Slovenian Armed Forces Spartan C-27 aircraft as part of a regular flight.

Following a large-scale terrorist attack by Hamas against Israel on 7 October 2023, an armed conflict broke out between Israel and Hamas, which has so far claimed countless lives and injured many people on the Palestinian side, mostly civilians. The security and humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip has been extremely dire for quite some time and continues to worsen. There has been a long-lasting shortage of water, food, electricity and fuel, diseases are spreading, and medical and hospital capacities are increasingly limited, putting the civilian population, especially women, children and other vulnerable groups, at high risk. According to data from United Nations agencies and non-governmental organisations, the area is not only suffering from general shortages, but also from famine. Several European countries, in cooperation with the Jordanian army, have airdropped humanitarian aid.

As a responsible non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, Slovenia is committed to ensuring aid to civilian populations suffering in military conflicts. In 2024, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia already provided humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza in the form of food and other supplies, which, together with transport, amounted to EUR 2,144,668.

Due to the dramatic deterioration of the situation in the Gaza area, the Republic of Slovenia will provide additional material assistance to the Palestinian civilian population affected by the armed conflict between Israel and Hamas, which will again be transported via Jordan to those in need.

Material assistance will be provided from the material reserves available to the Ministry of Defence and the Slovenian Armed Forces and will consist of 1,000 blankets and up to 7,680 dry rations.

The total value of the material aid, including transport, amounts to EUR 879,490. The shipment of material resources will be accompanied by representatives of the Republic of Slovenia.

Source: Ministry of Defence