After years of hostility to Israel, Slovenia elected pro-Israel Janez Janša as prime minister, who was sworn in Friday. The leader of the right-wing Slovenian Democratic Party had previously served as prime minister from 2004-2008, 2012-2013 and 2020-2022.

Robert Golob, who has just stepped down from the role, governed during a time when Slovenia became one of the European Union countries most hostile toward Israel. During his tenure, Slovenia recognized a Palestinian state, banned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from traveling to the country, imposed an arms embargo on Israel, banned goods produced in the Palestinian territories, sanctioned Israeli officials Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich and boycotted Eurovision 2026.

Installing Janša in the highest office in the land brings a dramatic change to the politics surrounding Israel. Janša is a friend of Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, and they recently recorded a video in which Janša says, “I send greetings to the residents of Judea and Samaria,” rather than referring to the territories as the West Bank, a strong political statement of support for Israel.

Janša boasts a long record of support for Israel. He condemned Golob’s recognition of a Palestinian state as illegal, supported Israel’s right to defend itself on many occasions, condemned every Iranian attack on Israel, and denounced antisemitism and support for terror on the Slovenian left.

Some of his pro-Israel and generally philo-semitic statements include the following:

• “We regret that the rockets falling on Israel were also paid for with the help of money ($2 billion) that the Iranian regime laundered in the largest Slovenian state bank, NLB, during the reign of the Tanja Fajon party,” he said in October 2024.
• “Antisemitism has no place anywhere in the world. Our hearts are with the families of the victims, the global Chabad family, and with the Jewish community in Australia and all over the world,” he said after the Bondi Beach massacre in Australia.
• He wished “Chag Pesach Sameach” to the Slovenian community and to Jewish communities around the world this past Passover.

Janša also promised to move the Slovenian embassy to Jerusalem, and political analysts speculate that Slovenian recognition of a Palestinian state will be withdrawn.