The Slovenian parliament is supposed to discuss the recognition of the Palestinian state on Tuesday, but will not vote on it because of the call of the opposition Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) to hold a consultative referendum on the matter, the media reports.
The Slovenian government announced on Thursday that it is joining the small number of European countries that recognize Palestinian statehood.
Prime Minister Robert Golob said at the time that his government agreed on the decision to recognize Palestine and would submit the measure to parliament for final approval.
But the Slovenian SDS submitted a request on Monday to hold a consultative referendum on the recognition of Palestine.
According to the Slovenian media, SDS leader Janez Janša said that the government’s decision to recognize Palestine has already caused long-term damage to Slovenia “because it supports the terrorist organization Hamas”.
The referendum is unlikely to stop the recognition of Palestine because the ruling coalition has a majority in parliament, but it will delay it by at least 30 days, according to STA.
By recognizing the Palestinian state, Slovenia would follow the path of Ireland, Norway and Spain. Those countries officially recognized an independent Palestine last week. Sweden made that move ten years ago.
All these moves strengthened the Palestinian issue in the world, but they angered Israel.
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs last week condemned Slovenia’s decision to recognize an independent Palestinian state.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the decision, which will be voted on by parliament, is a reward to Hamas for murders and rapes.
In the press release, Katz said that this move also strengthens Iran, Israel’s enemy, and harms the “close friendship of the Slavic and Israeli peoples”.
“I hope that the Slovenian parliament will reject this recommendation,” he added.
More than 140 of the 193 member states of the United Nations recognize Palestine as a sovereign state. Western European countries and the United States have long been the exception.
