The diplomatic maneuver forced a significant downgrade in the EU’s response, leaving High Representative Kaja Kallas to issue a watered-down statement on her own authority. While the E1 area construction threatens to dismantle the viability of a two-state solution, the EU’s reaction was further diluted by Kallas’s inclusion of praise for Israeli judicial efforts against settler violence—a move criticized as hollow given the lack of successful prosecutions.
Slovenia pivots to shield Netanyahu from EU pressure
Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša has effectively blocked a unified European Union condemnation of Israel’s latest settlement expansion in the West Bank. By vetoing a joint statement from the 27 member states, Janša has signaled a sharp departure from his own previous stance, stepping into the role of Israel’s primary defender in Brussels.
This shift marks a realignment in European politics, replacing the influence once held by former Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán. In a stark reversal of his 2021 position, where he explicitly warned businesses of legal and reputational risks for participating in E1 development, Janša is now actively shielding the Netanyahu administration. This change in policy coincides with personal outreach; on June 15, Janša hosted Yossi Dagan, a prominent figure among Israeli settler extremists, in Ljubljana. Reports also suggest that the Israeli private-intelligence firm Black Cube operated within Slovenia during the May election cycle, potentially influencing the political environment that brought Janša back to power.
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