The government of Slovenia has announced that it will ban the entry of two far-right Israeli ministers, becoming the first country in the European Union to take such a measure against members of Israel’s government.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, both senior members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, have been declared “persona non grata”, according to an official statement released by the Slovenian government.
Authorities in Ljubljana cited the ministers’ “extremist rhetoric, incitement to violence, and serious human rights violations against Palestinians”, adding that “their genocidal statements” were a central reason for the ban.
This decision marks an unprecedented move within the EU, signaling growing frustration with Israel’s far-right leadership and its actions in the occupied Palestinian territories.
