STA, 21 September 2021 - The annual festival dubbed Cultural Embassy of Palestine is starting in Ljubljana on Tuesday evening to explore the theme of the bond between Palestine and the land through film screenings, an exhibition and a round table discussion featuring various guests with connections to Palestine.

The Cultural Embassy of Palestine is an annual event, organised by the civil society initiative Palestinian Rights Movement, in cooperation with the Janez Boljka Art Gallery, the Divja Misel Institute, the Vodnik Homestead and the Slovenian Cinematheque.

It aims to stimulate reflection and broaden the understanding of what is happening in Palestine through Palestinian culture, music, literature and history, the Palestinian Rights Movement said.

The event starts on Tuesday at the Janez Boljka Art Gallery with the photographic exhibition Al Ard - Land, organised in collaboration with photographer Fatima Abbadi and Palestinian artist Khaled Hourani.

The exhibition aims to show "the unbreakable bond between the Palestinian people and their land," reads the press release. They will also host Palestinian poet Fawzi Abder Rahim from Maribor.

On Wednesday evening, the Vodnik Homestead will host a discussion entitled Palestinian Land: Where It All Begins And Ends.

The guests will be journalist Fareed Taamallah and his son, activist and graduate student Eyad Taamallah, who will join via video-link and shed light on the daily struggle for land in the Israeli-controlled Occupied Palestinian Territories.

An activist and student from Berlin, Fidaa Zaanin, will also join the discussion, which will be followed by a screening of the documentary film Nun Wa Zaytun (2014) by Emtiaz Diab.

The event concludes on 23 September at the Slovenian Cinematheque with a screening of Najwa Najjar's feature film Pomegranates and Myrrh (Al-mor wa al rumman - 2008), a winner of multiple international prizes.

STA, 26 May 2021 - Several NGOs have warned that police identified and fined mostly foreigners ahead of and during last week's protests in Ljubljana, which they see as inadmissible ethical profiling. The Human Rights Ombudsman is investigating the matter.

The Slovenian Philanthropy, Amnesty International Slovenia and the Peace Institute stressed the right to protest, in particular for the Palestinian community in Slovenia, which they said was violated last Friday.

"The European Court of Human Rights says the right to peaceful assembly is a fundamental right in a democratic society and just like the freedom of expression it is one of the foundations of such a society.

"But rather than honouring this right the Slovenian police tried to physically remove peaceful protesters ... and issued a number of fines," the NGOs wrote in a statement on Wednesday.

They said that fines had been issued to people with "different traumatic and tragic stories", who have come a long way to reach safety, who have seen their relatives, friends, acquaintances injured or killed, and whose homes have been destroyed.

The NGOs called on police to stop persecuting and physically harassing protesters.

The latest weekly cycling protest, held last Friday in Ljubljana city centre, coincided with an event staged by a movement for the Slovenian Palestinian community with many of the protesters carrying Palestinian flags.

At the event, Palestinians shared their stories, calling for freedom for Palestine and condemning actions by Israel as "genocide". They also protested against the Israeli flag being raised on the Slovenian government building.

Access to the government building was blocked by the police. There were also pushing and altercation between the protesters and the police and two protesters were apprehended to be identified and later released.

STA, 18 May 2021 - The Muslim Community of Slovenia, one of the two organisations representing Muslims in the country, has sent an open letter to Prime Minister Janez Janša in which it describes the flying of the Israeli flag on the Slovenian government building as an "abuse of power" and support for "Israel's genocidal policy."

V znak solidarnosti z ?? na stavbi vlade poleg slovenske in evropske tudi izraelska zastava. Obsojamo teroristične napade in stojimo ob strani Izraelu. pic.twitter.com/glF3LMi2wt

— Vlada Republike Slovenije (@vladaRS) May 14, 2021

"The government has raised the flag of an occupying power in the name of its ideology, not in our name," the letter says, adding that support for Israel is even more worrying at a time when "the Israeli authorities are pursuing a policy of genocide and apartheid".

The Muslim Community believes that "Hamas has only a potential desire to destroy Israel", while on the other hand the Israeli state "is actually destroying the people and the society of Palestine".

Janša was reminded that the instigating moment of the latest events in the Middle East was Israeli forces storming the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third most important in the Muslim world, at the end of the holy month of Ramadan, an "unprecedented violation of basic human rights" in recent history.

The letter asked the prime minister "how he would have felt if the police broke into a cathedral where he and his family were peacefully attending a Christian religious ceremony".

"Do you really have such an insensitive attitude towards victims and do you not care how 50,000 Muslims in Slovenia feel?" added the letter signed by Muhamed Čerkez, the president of the committee of the Muslim Community of Slovenia.

The organisation is the smaller of the two Islamic religious organisations in Slovenia. It was established in 2006 after a split in the Islamic Community in the Republic of Slovenia.

"Our community believes that international conflicts must be resolved peacefully and non-violently. Both Jews and Palestinians have a right to exist. But above all, truth must have the right to exist," concluded the letter.

Izrael so tako kot ?? na sam dan razglasitve neodvisnosti leta 1948 napadle sosednje države. In nato še 3x. Tudi letos je #Hamas napadel prvi, raketiral civilne cilje v ?? in se ob tem skrival za lastnimi civilisti. Muslimanska skupnost s podporo teroristom dela veliko napako. https://t.co/5jlaeNYXfk

— Janez Janša (@JJansaSDS) May 18, 2021

Prime Minister Janša responded on Twitter by saying that the Muslim community was making "a big mistake by supporting terrorists".

He said Israel had been attacked by neighbouring countries when it declared independence in 1948 and three more times after that. "This year as well #Hamas attacked first, shelling civilian targets in [Israel] while hiding behind its own civilians."

The Israeli flag was raised on the government building in Ljubljana last Friday as a sign of solidarity with Israel. The move came amid the worst conflict in the Middle East in seven years.

The Palestinian ambassador to Slovenia, Salahem Abdel Shafi, condemned the displaying of the Israeli flag. He told the daily Dnevnik that it was an outrageous and very worrying act and a display of one-sided, even racist politics.

Meanwhile, Israeli Ambassador Eyal Sela said that Israel has the duty to protect its citizens from terrorist attacks as much as any other country.

Updated with the response of the Israeli Ambassador

STA, 17 May - Palestinian Ambassador Salahem Abdel-Shafi has expressed indignation over the Slovenian government's Friday decision to raise Israel's flag in Ljubljana to express solidarity with Israel amid the latest escalation of violence in the Middle East.

Following the suit of Austria and the Czech Republic, the government raised the Israeli flag along the Slovenian and EU flags on the government building, and said on Twitter: "We condemn the terrorist attacks, and we stand by Israel."

Related: Israeli Flag Flown on Slovenian Govt Building in Show of Solidarity, Against President's Wishes

As a sign of solidarity with #Israel the Israeli flag ?? is hoisted on the buildings of the @govSlovenia. We condemn the terrorist attacks and we stand by Israel. ?????? pic.twitter.com/CDWQzXw2Dm

— Janez Janša (@JJansaSDS) May 14, 2021

"This is outrageous and very worrying. It's a show of a one-sided, I'd even say a racist policy. It was meant to express sympathy for the victims of only one side, while ignoring the victims on the other side," the Austria-based ambassador who is also in charge of Slovenia said in a statement the newspaper Dnevnik ran on Monday.

He also said that there were many more civilian victims, including women and children, on the Palestinian side. "Expressing solidarity and empathy with the Israeli victims or Israel is racism. This is a policy of white supremacy. We cannot accept that, we most strongly condemn it."

The diplomat said he was surprised with the Slovenian government's gesture because at their meeting in Ljubljana last week, Foreign Ministry State Secretary Stanislav Raščan assured him that Slovenia would stick to the EU's two-state solution policy. He thus believes the latest act undermines this stance.

He said the Palestinian authorities knew Prime Minister Janez Janša had friendly relations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which they had absolutely nothing against.

"But when something like Friday's act happens, when sympathising with only some victims happens, we have to raise our voice. This is offensive to the victims. This is not just a political issue," he said, adding he would send a letter of protest to the Slovenian Foreign Ministry.

Defending the Israeli government's actions, Israeli Ambassador to Slovenia Eyal Sela meanwhile told news portal Siol.net that contrary to Hamas, Israel had been launching air strikes on an infrastructure of terrorists that was attacking the country. Israel has the duty to protect its citizens as much as any other country, he noted.

"Unfortunately there have been civilian casualties, who are not our target. There is also a lot of victims of Hamas missiles in Gaza since as many as a quarter do not hit Israel's territory, instead they fall down on civilians in Gaza as well," he said.

Sela highlighted that Israel was acting in line with all international commitments and international law as the country did not target buildings of civilians but the infrastructure used by Hamas. The latter uses civilians as so-called human shields, he said. "We do not fire at schools or kindergartens as they [Hamas] do in Israel," he added.

One of the buildings that were destroyed in an Israeli air strike housed foreign media, but was also used by Hamas to run intelligence services to help launch attacks, Sela said. "Such an abuse of human shield is a crime against humanity," he said, pointing out that the foreign media companies had been notified of the strike beforehand and there had been no casualties.

Updated at 19:50 with news of the President's disapproval, and gain at 20:30 with news of the protest

STA, 14 May 2021 - An Israeli flag has been hoisted along the Slovenian and EU flags on the Slovenian government building as an expression of solidarity with Israel amidst an escalating conflict with armed Palestinian groups.

"We condemn the terrorist attacks, and we stand by Israel," says a post on the government's official Twitter account, where photos of the flags have been published.

Prime Minister Janez Janša posted the same message on his Twitter account.

As a sign of solidarity with #Israel the Israeli flag ?? is hoisted on the buildings of the @govSlovenia. We condemn the terrorist attacks and we stand by Israel. ?????? pic.twitter.com/CDWQzXw2Dm

— Janez Janša (@JJansaSDS) May 14, 2021

The move follows Austria, where an Israeli flag has been flown at the seat of government and the Foreign Ministry, and the Czech Republic, where an Israeli flag has been raised at Prague Castle, the seat of the president.

President Borut Pahor expressed disagreement with the government's decision, tweeting that he was "not in favour of the expression of the country's views on international issues with the raising of other countries' flags".

He also endorsed the recent EU appeal for an end to Israeli-Palestinian violence and reiterated his statement that the dispute should be resolved peacefully in accordance with the two-state solution.

Parliamentary Speaker Igor Zorčič said he was "not in favour" of such "cheerleading raising of flags". "In armed conflicts, Slovenia should pursue a neutral stance and support initiatives for negotiations and the achievement of peace."

There was a rally in support of Palestine in front of the Israeli consulate in Ljubljana in the afternoon as about 100 protesters chanted slogans such as "Free Palestine" and "Death to Israeli occupation".

Some also protested against the flying of the Israeli flag. The crowd featured several Palestinian refugees who have relatives in Gaza, public broadcaster TV Slovenija reported.

Parliamentary Speaker Igor Zorčič said he was "not in favour" of such "cheerleading raising of flags". "In armed conflicts, Slovenia should pursue a neutral stance and support initiatives for negotiations and the achievement of peace."

STA, 8 December 2020 - Prime Minister Janez Janša met his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu as part of an official visit to Israel on Tuesday. The pair discussed the strengthening of bilateral cooperation, particularly in innovation. Netanyahu thanked Slovenia for declaring Hezbollah a terrorist organisation.

The visit of the Slovenian prime minister is an opportunity for a new beginning in relations between the two countries, Netanyahu said in a press release published on his Twitter.

"This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship," he added.

Israel's prime minister said that Janša had always been a great advocate of the Israel-Slovenia alliance, adding that Janša's actions in his capacity as prime minister showed how deeply he was committed to this vision.

Netanyahu thanked Janša for declaring the Hezbollah Shia Islamist movement a terrorist organisation and for expressing support for Israel in international forums.

The Slovenian government declared Hezbollah a terrorist organisation last week, a step that was recently also welcomed by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

In November, Slovenia, along with 13 other countries, voted against the WHO resolution which would aim to secure access to healthcare amid the pandemic for residents of the occupied Palestinian territory and Syrian Golan.

Prime Minister Netanyahu added:
"We've just signed the Abraham Accords, and country after country is joining the peace agreement that we have and the normalization agreements that we have with the United Arab Emirates, with Bahrain, with Sudan. Others are coming in. pic.twitter.com/ut6UHABFm4

— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) December 8, 2020

Janša said in a press release today that Slovenia was one of the European countries which attempted to see the Middle East situation as it was and not as it was often depicted.

"We're realists and we know the true role of Israel here, the importance of Israel for peace in the world and the region. We're willing to do everything to strengthen this position," he said.

The prime ministers agreed that there were numerous untapped opportunities for cooperation, with Netanyahu highlighting AI, cybersecurity, trade and tourism as areas of untapped potential.

Netanyahu described Slovenia and Israel as advanced democracies, competent when it comes to tech advancements and forward-looking, sharing a wish to improve lives of their citizens.

He also announced that the two countries would sign an innovation agreement today.

"Opportunities belong to those who create innovations. Innovations create value added and competitive advantage as well as propel economies," he said.

Janša said that Israel, as one of the most innovative countries in the world, was a major role model for Slovenia.

During yesterday's meeting with representatives of Israel's innovation sector, he determined that there were a lot of opportunities for cooperation that would need to be explored in the future.

Janša also told Netanyahu that cybersecurity would be one of Slovenia's priorities during the country's EU Council presidency in the second half of 2021.

Since Israel is very advanced in this field, we would like to share know-how and cooperate closely, Janša added.

Netanyahu said that Israel was looking forward to using the port of Koper as an entry point for the country's products in the European market.

Janša is expected to meet Israel's President Reuven Rivlin and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi today as well.

STA, 5 December 2020 - Prime Minister Janez Janša will be on official visit to Israel on Monday and Tuesday to meet Israel's top officials, including his counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, President Reuven Rivlin and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi. Janša is also to meet representatives of various companies.

The visit is "a confirmation of good and traditionally friendly relations between the two countries, and an opportunity to discuss key foreign policy issues (Syria, Iraq, Iran, and the Middle East peace process)," Janša's office said in a press release.

Moreover, the visit will be an opportunity to hold talks on further cooperation including in cybersecurity and AI, the press release reads.

Slovenian media reported in recent days that Slovenia was interested in purchasing Israel's weapons and that the visit could take place against a backdrop of plans to procure Israeli armament systems, particularly given that Slovenia intends to invest EUR 780 million in its army.

Janša's office did not confirm reports of any potential purchases of Israeli arms.

It only said that ahead of Tuesday's official part of the visit the prime minister would meet representatives of Israeli "cybersecurity companies and other successful companies, which will present their operations and opportunities for cooperation with Slovenian companies".

Former Defence Minister Andreja Katič told the newspaper Delo in late November that Slovenia "could be interested in the anti-tank missile system Spike".

The missile is used by 31 countries, including 18 member states of the EU and NATO. Spike was developed by Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.

The system was presented and tested also in Slovenia last year. According to Delo's unofficial information, Spike will be tested again at the Poček training area this month.

Another popular product in this category of Israel's exports is drone Harop, a loitering munition system.

Commentators in the media argue that the government is evidently trying to amend Slovenia's policy to make it more pro-Israel.

This week the government declared the Lebanon-based political party and militant group Hezbollah a criminal and terrorist organisation.

Moreover, in November Slovenia, along with 13 other countries, voted against the WHO resolution which would aim to secure access to healthcare amid the pandemic for residents of the occupied Palestinian territory and Syrian Golan.

Regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Slovenia has so far supported respecting the UN decisions that strive for the two-state solution.

Following the arrival of Donald Trump's administration, the odds were no longer in favour of this solution. Slovenia then considered recognising Palestine as an independent country, however this has not come to be.

It seems that Janša does not plan to meet Palestine's representatives, given that the press release does not mention such intentions.

The supporters of Palestinians' rights in Slovenia are quite critical of Janša's decision to visit Israel.

As a result of Slovenia's vote on the WHO resolution, the Movement for Palestinians' Rights, a Slovenian NGO, accused the state this week of supporting the "Israeli policy of occupation and apartheid".

The Foreign Ministry has rejected such allegations and highlighted that Slovenia is actively supporting aid efforts helping Palestinians.

The country has allocated EUR 500,000 to co-fund the construction of a desalination facility in the Gaza Strip, the ministry noted, highlighting humanitarian aid efforts in Palestine as well.

Cooperation between Slovenia and Israel is relatively modest and political meetings or discussions at the highest level are rare.

In the past year, Foreign Minister Anže Logar talked to his Israeli counterpart Ashkenazi over the phone in July. In January, President Borut Pahor attended a ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Prior to 2020, the last official visit to Israel was in 2017 when Milan Brglez, the then parliamentary speaker, visited the country.

Trade between Slovenia and Israel is relatively modest as well. Last year, the two countries exchanged some EUR 135 million worth of goods, according to data released by the web portal Izvozno Okno. In 2018, when trade between Slovenia and Israel was the highest in the last six years, it totalled almost EUR 157 million.

Slovenia's imports from Israel in 2019 were about 30% higher than exports. In the first eight months of 2020, trade between the countries is estimated at EUR 90.5 million, the Izvozno Okno data show.

In June 2019, 13 high-tech and startup companies from Slovenia participated in a business conference held in Israel.

STA, 15 June 2020 - Foreign Minister Anže Logar said during questions and answers time in parliament on Monday that Slovenia is calling on Israel to "refrain from any unilateral decisions that would lead to the annexing of any of the occupied Palestinian territories and would as such run contrary to international law".

As Matej Tašner Vatovec of the opposition Left expressed concern over Israel's annexation plans and the US peace proposal that would back unilateral annexing, Logar said "Slovenia continues to support all efforts for a peaceful solution of the dispute and for a revival of a peace process" that should be based on a two-state solution.

"In relation to this we've called several times for a strengthening of the EU's dialogue with both key actors, Israel and Palestine, as well as with the US and the relevant Arab countries that have influence and power in this part of the world," Logar said. He moreover highlighted dialogue with Russia and the UN, part of the Quartet.

"Slovenia remains an ally of a two-state solution. We continue to support diplomatic activities and calls to avoid unilateral action and, as a representative, proponent of the rule of law, calls for the honouring of international law," he added.

According to Logar, "a unilateral annexation would mean a violation of international law and a threat to global order based on rules agreed in advance. Unilateral activities or unilateral annexation would also have a negative impact on security and stability in the region and wider".

"Thus Slovenia, also in the context of the EU, will continue with calls" against these plans becoming reality, the minister said, stressing he had also taken this position at the meeting of EU foreign ministers on 15 May.

He pointed out that the EU's High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell had stressed in a special statement that the EU and its member states would not recognised any changes to the 1967 borders unless the changes were agreed between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

"A two-state solution with Jerusalem as the capital of both countries is the only way to secure sustainable peace and stability in the region," Logar said.

STA, 11 July 2019 - Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki told the STA he was optimistic about Slovenia recognising Palestinian independence, expecting Slovenia to make this step along with a number of other EU countries. However, he pointed out there was currently little chance of restarting the peace process with Israel.

Malki said he was disappointed when Slovenia changed its mind about recognising Palestine last year after the decision to do that had already been reached.

"I remember we were in Brussels when the former foreign minister met with our President Mahmud Abas and told him Slovenia was going to recognize Palestine," said the minister, adding that they were very pleased about the step and started celebrating, but Slovenia decided to take a step back.

Palestinian expectations then became more realistic, with Palestine starting to understand the complexity of this process and also the effects of the pressure from Israel and the US.

Wednesday's talks with Foreign Minister Miro Cerar and Speaker Dejan Židan made Malki realise that together they could create the right kind of atmosphere for reaching the recognition decision.

He said that in the upcoming weeks he would strengthen the efforts aimed at establishing conditions in which Slovenia could recognize Palestinian independence along with several other EU countries, adding that would be beneficial to all, "not only Slovenia but also for other countries who are a little bit hesitant and who are looking for other countries to do the same".

According to him, Palestinians would deeply appreciate Slovenian recognition of their independence also because they regard Slovenia as "a country which understands what it means to be independent and has strived for its own freedom and independence", as well as a country which has supported Palestine since its own independence.

"The moment Slovenia will announce its recognition of the state of Palestine, it's going to be a national celebration in Palestine," said Malki.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian minister is not particularly optimistic in terms of the peace process in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

As long as Israel will have a "fascist, extreme right, radical government" and as long as the US administration will continue supporting this government and illegal settlers and disregarding international law and UN resolutions, there are no chances of restarting the process, said Malki.

According to him, Palestinians would support the replacement of the US as a mediator in the process; however, they are aware that the US cannot be completely excluded from the negotiations. But they cannot have an exclusive role any more, said Malki.

He called for a bigger role of the EU in the negotiations. According to him, Europe understands the Middle East situation and has "vested interests to see peace and prosperity in the Middle East".

However, Malki believes Israel would not accept that. "Israel wants the US alone to play that role, but we cannot allow that, so we have to reach a compromise," said the minister, adding that such compromise could include the US, EU and other countries as participants in the negotiations.

Malki described the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories as very difficult, highlighting that such state of affairs has been going on for more than 50 years.

According to him, the Israeli occupation is not only military but also economic and social.

"You cannot dig a well without getting Israeli permits. You cannot get electricity without Israeli permits. Our internet - we get it directly from Israel," said Malki, pointing out that Palestinians only recently got 3G, when people in some places already have 5G, while in Gaza only the 2G network is available.

"If we want to travel abroad, we have to go through Israeli military control. If they decide you're not allowed to travel, then you cannot really go anywhere. There are more than 600 checkpoints dispersed around in the West Bank, meaning that on average there is a checkpoint every four or five kilometres."

Malki pointed out that if one travels from one city to another, a distance of some 30 km, they have to go through 2-3 checkpoints. "You don't know if you can cross, you don't know if you can get where you are going on time."

"You go to sleep and you don't know if Israeli soldiers will break into your home at 3 or 4 in the morning just to remind you they're the ones in control or to look for somebody or something or even to take one of your children for interrogation.

"When your kids leave in the morning for school, you don't know if they will come back," said Malki and added that Jewish settlers, pushing Palestinians off their land make life in the occupied territories even harder.

STA, 10 July 2019 - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar reiterated that Slovenia would recognize Palestine as part of a smaller group of EU countries after a meeting with his Palestinian counterpart Riad Malki in Ljubljana on Wednesday, confirming the continuation of existing efforts aimed at recognizing Palestinian independence.

"We will continue with activities designed to form a smaller group of EU member states as soon as possible which would along with Slovenia recognize Palestine as an independent country," said Cerar.

"We haven't abandoned this plan of ours; it's still the main aim of our foreign policy," the minister pointed out.

According to Malki, Palestinians are looking forward to Slovenia's recognition. "We know there is the will to do that, but they are probably waiting for the right moment. We hope this moment will arrive soon," said the head of Palestinian diplomacy.

#Slovenija?? ostaja aktivna podpornica palestinskih prizadevanj v medn. org. in prebivalcem Palestine?? pomaga s konkretnimi projekti. Februarja je @ITFsi začel s projektom Psihosocialna pomoč žrtvam konfliktov in pomoč na področju rehabilitacije v #Gaza in Zahodnem bregu. @MZZRS pic.twitter.com/jJoXFCS5oa

— dr. Miro Cerar (@MiroCerar) July 10, 2019

Cerar told Malki that Slovenia would continue to support Palestine within international organisations and assist it with financial and humanitarian aid.

The pair discussed the Palestinian-Israeli relations and the regional situation as well.

According to Cerar, Slovenia supports all initiatives aimed at dissolving tensions between Israel and the Gaza strip, which is under the protection of the UN and Egypt, as well as the continuation of the intra-Palestinian reconciliation process.

The Slovenian minister also called for restarting the peace process in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"Slovenia, as an active EU member, advocates that the only solution (for this conflict) is a solution of two states - within the borders set in 1967 and with Jerusalem as the capital if the two sides do not agree on something else," highlighted Cerar.

According to him, Slovenia wishes that the suffering of the Palestinian nation would cease as soon as possible.

Malki said that Palestinians were striving for a peace agreement with Israel through direct political negotiations. He also expressed hope that the agreement would be reached soon.

The minister urged Israel to recognize the right of the Palestinian nation to self-determination and independence and enter into political negotiations, based on the two-state solution, with Palestine.

Malki highlighted that for Palestinians the continuation of Israeli occupation was unacceptable, which is why they were willing to respond to all Israeli security concerns.

"If a single Israeli soldier remains on the Palestinian territory, that would indicate the continuation of the Israeli occupation and would be unacceptable," said Malki.

Palestinian President Mahmud Abas even suggested the presence of a third party, mentioning NATO. Thus Israeli concerns would be addressed and Palestine protected against possible Israeli army invasions, said the Palestinian minister.

Malki also condemned Israel's efforts to annex individual parts of the West Bank, attempts which had been encouraged by the recent actions of the US administration such as the recognizing of the illegal annexation of Syrian Golan Heights.

Cerar highlighted that Slovenia allocated its biggest humanitarian donation so far to Palestine - half a million euro for installing a water desalination plant in Gaza. The rest of the financial aid (EUR 70 million) will be earmarked by the EU Commission.

Slovenia's aid includes providing rehabilitation and psychosocial support to victims of the Gaza-Israel conflict.

The Ljubljana URI Soča rehabilitation centre has treated more than 100 children from the conflict region in the past decade, while some 300 of them have been treated in Gaza as part of a joint project of the centre and ITF Enhancing Human Security (ITF) organisation, said the Foreign Ministry.

Slovenia is also setting up a rehabilitation centre for the West Bank and Gaza victims at the Bethlehem hospital Harmalah in cooperation with the ITF organisation and the URI centre. The country has contributed EUR 165,000 for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) for the 2018-2020 period as well.

The Palestinian minister thanked Slovenia for its political and victim rehabilitation support. "Slovenia has a very special place in our hearts," he said.

Along with Cerar he called for strengthening Palestinian-Slovenian cooperation including in economy, tourism, education and culture. "All of these forms of cooperation strengthen the good friendly relations are are a form of aid and support to the Palestinian nation," said Cerar.

Malki, who had visited Slovenia twice before, was also scheduled to meet Speaker Dejan Židan, the Foreign Policy Committee chair Matjaž Nemec and the head of the Palestinian-Slovenian friendship group Matej T. Vatovec.

Židan highlighted Slovenia's strong affection towards Palestine, especially in terms of understating the meaning of the right to self-determination.

He expressed support and advised persistence in Palestine's efforts for independence, saying its recognition can speed up the peace process, the parliament's press service wrote.

The pair moreover expressed the importance of multilateral cooperation, which Malki noted was particularly important for giving small countries security and a sense of being protected by the global system and its agreed rules.