By Burak Bir
LONDON (AA) – Slovenia reiterated its strong opposition to Israel's ongoing attacks on Gaza, calling them "genocide" and accusing Tel Aviv of using famine as a policy.
Speaking at the 29th annual Consultation of Slovenian Diplomacy in the capital Ljubljana, Prime Minister Robert Golob said that his country's voice on Gaza "can make a difference.”
“We have prepared measures that send a clear message, and if other European countries followed suit, the situation could change today,” he noted.
Earlier, Golob described Slovenia's decision to recognize the state of Palestine as one of the most significant and noble foreign policy actions in its history.
The Slovenian parliament officially recognized Palestine as a sovereign and independent state on June 4, 2024, in line with international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions, based on the 1967 borders.
For her part, Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon decried the Israeli genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, labeling it "shocking evidence" that unresolved conflicts do not go away but instead return, "increasingly bloody, increasingly inhumane."
"The Israeli bombing has been joined by a policy of starvation," she noted, citing the recent declaration of famine in Gaza due to insufficient humanitarian aid delivery into the besieged enclave.
"During our consultation alone, two classes of children will die due to Israeli attacks and malnutrition," added Fajon.
Last week, the UN-backed hunger monitoring system, Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, confirmed that there is famine in the Gaza Strip.
Israel has killed nearly 63,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.