Janez Janša's party attempts to prevent Slovenia's recognition of Palestine

(Patria) - The conservative opposition in Slovenia has submitted a motion that prevented tomorrow's vote in the Slovenian National Assembly on the official recognition of Palestine.

The Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS), led by former Prime Minister Janez Janša, requested a "consultative referendum" on the matter, thereby postponing the vote planned for tomorrow by at least a month.

The parliament must vote on this motion at the next session on June 17, and if it is rejected, which is highly likely, it will be able to continue the normal voting procedure on the state of Palestine, most likely only on July 8.

The Slovenian government last week sent a decree on Palestine to the National Assembly for adoption, accelerating a procedure that was originally supposed to be completed by mid-June.

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Slovenija na korak od priznanja Palestine, na potezu Narodna skupština

(Patria) - Vlada Slovenije usvojila je danas odluku da Narodnoj skupštini te države predloži priznanje palestinske države.O tome bi poslanici trebalo da odlučuju na vanrednoj sjednici u utorak naredne sedmice, prenosi RSE.Premijer Slovenije Robe

That vote was supposed to be a formality because a simple majority is sufficient to adopt the text, and the ruling centre-left coalition holds 51 of the 90 seats in parliament.

Janša, previously close to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, categorically opposes this decision. According to his proposal, Slovenia's recognition of Palestine would cause "long-term damage to Slovenia because it would support the terrorist organization Hamas".

Contrary to Janša, Slovenia's liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob believes that such recognition "carries a message of peace".

- We believe that the time has come for the whole world to join forces in support of the two-state solution (Palestine alongside Israel) that will bring peace to the Middle East - Golob stated.

Israeli authorities last week expressed hope that the Slovenian parliament would reject its government's recommendation to recognize a Palestinian state, which they consider a "reward for Hamas".

Palestine was previously recognized by Spain, Ireland and Norway, joining the majority group of 140 countries worldwide that had done so earlier.