Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz met Sunday with his Slovenian counterpart, Tanja Fajon, and criticized her for her consideration to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state. The meeting, marked by tension and attended by families of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, saw Katz assertively questioning the timing of such recognition.
FM Katz meets Slovenian counterpart
(Video: GPO)
"Now you want to recognize a Palestinian state?" he asked. "After the massacre of October 7? Unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state would be a reward for Hamas and Iran. Such a state, should it be established, would be controlled by Hamas and Iran. We expect friendly countries like Slovenia to support Israel during this challenging time and not oppose us. Israel will not compromise on its security."
The Slovenian official responded that her country is not acting against Israel.
"We are not against Israel, but our stance is clear. We support peace. We aim to prevent harm to civilians; this must stop. We need to bring in more humanitarian aid. This is a chance for a cease-fire, even a temporary one," Fajon said.
Katz emphasized Israel's conditions for peace. "Any cease-fire must be tied to the release of the hostages. If you truly want to protect civilians, you must apply pressure on Hamas. They are using civilians as human shields," Katz said. "Your efforts should focus on Hamas and the states that support it, to secure the release of the hostages and to disarm Hamas. Recognizing a Palestinian state would only encourage extremists to continue their violence and kidnappings, undermining efforts to secure the release of the captives still in Gaza."
Later in the discussion, Katz urged his Slovenian counterpart to take a firm stance against Iran in international forums. "We need action against them in the European Union, the UN, and across all fronts. I urge you to support expanding sanctions on Iran's missile and drone programs and to declare the Revolutionary Guards a terrorist organization," he said.
In a subsequent post on the X platform, Fajon called on Israel to avoid an attack on Rafah and remarked that recognizing a Palestinian state "is no longer a problem for Slovenia." She warned that "without a cease-fire and serious efforts towards sustainable peace, the recognition of Palestine is fast approaching." Slovenia, as a member of the UN Security Council, plays a significant role in these discussions.
Later on Sunday, Fajon met with new Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa. According to a post on X, they "agreed on the need for a cease-fire and the convening of a peace conference that would ensure security for Palestinians and Israelis."
"Recognition of Palestine would benefit both sides and lead to a two-state solution." the post also said.