Slovenia has said that it will ban all weapons trade with Israel over the war in Gaza, in what it said is a first by an EU nation.
Slovenia's government has frequently criticised Israel and last year moved to recognise a Palestinian state as part of efforts to end the war in Gaza as soon as possible.
"Slovenia is the first European country to ban the import, export, and transit of weapons to and from Israel," the government said in a statement late on Thursday.
It said it was moving ahead "independently" because the bloc was "unable to adopt concrete measures due to internal disagreements and disunity."
Amid the devastating war in Gaza, where "people are dying because humanitarian aid is systematically denied them," it was the "duty of every responsible state to take action, even if it means taking a step ahead of others,” the statement said.
It added that the government had not issued any permits for the export of military weapons and equipment to Israel since October 2023 because of the conflict.
Early in July, Slovenia, also in an EU first, banned two far-right Israeli ministers from entering the country.
It declared both Israelis "persona non grata," accusing them of inciting "extreme violence and serious violations of the human rights of Palestinians" with "their genocidal statements."
In June 2024, Slovenia's parliament passed a decree recognising Palestinian statehood, following in the steps of Ireland, Norway, and Spain, in moves partly fuelled by condemnation of Israel's relentless bombing of Gaza after October 7, 2023.
