Thousands protest in Ljubljana as Slovenia opens Israel's first embassy

Thousands of people have protested in Slovenia's capital, Ljubljana, as Israel opened its first embassy in the country. The demonstration took place on Wednesday near the hotel where the inauguration was being held, according to the supplied report. Protesters carried banners reading "We stand together for peace and Palestine" and "Genocide is not self-defence".

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The opening came after Prime Minister Janez Jansa pushed through a diplomatic reset with Israel, reversing the approach of his predecessor, Robert Golob. The report says Golob's government had described the war in Gaza as a genocide. It also says the protest coincided with a political backlash in Ljubljana, where the liberal Freedom Movement and the Left party submitted a proposal to parliament to impeach Jansa.

The motion was aimed primarily at foreign policy, which the parties said served Israel's interests exclusively. The same initiative also sought to remove Foreign Minister Tone Kajzer. The report says the embassy opening was described by critics as a return of the favour for Israel's alleged support of Jansa during the March election.

The protest reflects a wider domestic divide over Slovenia's shift in policy. A poll cited in the report, carried out by the daily newspaper Delo in June, suggested that 56 percent of Slovenians opposed closer ties with Israel, while 14 percent supported them. A political analyst quoted in the report said the government's position did not match what he saw as the prevailing public opinion in a country of about 2 million people.

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The diplomatic change is significant because it marks a sharp departure from the previous government's stance on the conflict in Gaza. Under Golob, Slovenia recognised a Palestinian state and imposed an arms embargo on Israel. It also banned imports from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and barred top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, from entering the country.

The report says Jansa also removed the Palestinian flag from the government building where it had been displayed alongside the Slovenian, EU and Ukrainian flags. What remains unclear is how much support the impeachment proposal will gain in parliament and whether the diplomatic reset will lead to further policy changes. The report does not say when any vote might take place.

It also does not indicate whether the embassy opening will prompt additional protests in the coming days.

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