Thousands protest in Ljubljana as Slovenia opens Israel’s first embassy

Nationalist Prime Minister Janez Jansa resets ties with Israel, sparking protests and an impeachment bid.Thousands of people have rallied in Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana, in protest against the opening of Israel’s first embassy in the European Union country.The protest on Wednesday came as Slovenia’s nationalist prime minister, Janez Jansa, pushed through a diplomatic reset with Israel, a sharp reversal from his predecessor, Robert Golob, whose government had described the Israeli war on Gaza as a “genocide”.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3How has Israel hit back against sanctions by the UK, others?list 2 of 3Inside Israel’s prisons, where Ben-Gvir’s cruelty is policylist 3 of 3Iran war looms over Trump at Republican midterm convention in Dallasend of listJansa took office in July.In Ljubljana, thousands marched past the hotel where the embassy’s inauguration was taking place, carrying banners reading “We stand together for peace and Palestine” and “Genocide is not self-defence”.Urska Breznik, a 48-year-old art historian, called the Jansa administration a “collaboration” government. Another protester, Melina Sahernik, told the AFP news agency, “This makes Slovenia look very bad.”A poll conducted by the daily newspaper Delo in June suggested that 56 percent of Slovenians opposed closer ties with Israel, while 14 percent supported them.Andraz Zorko, a Slovenian political analyst, told The Associated Press news agency that the government’s policy shift does not align with what he believes is the prevailing public opinion in the nation of some 2 million people.“The majority of Slovenian public is either against Israel or in some kind of neutral position,” he said.The liberal Freedom Movement, led by former Prime Minister Golob, joined the Left party on Wednesday to submit a proposal to parliament to impeach Jansa, primarily over a foreign policy they said serves Israel’s interests exclusively.