Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked the Slovenian prime minister for refusing to support an EU resolution against Israel’s settlement building in E1, an undeveloped plot of land near Maale Adumim in Judea in Area C, which is under the total jurisdiction of Israel.

The expression of gratitude comes amid a sharp disagreement between Prime Minister Janez Janša and President Nataša Pirc Musar, who issued a statement with a veiled rebuke aimed at the Slovenian premier.

“International law is not a matter of political choice and there must be no double standards in its respect,” she lectured. “It applies equally to everyone. Slovenia, from its own historical experience, understands well the importance of sovereignty and territorial integrity, and therefore must be particularly consistent in defending them. When these principles are violated, Slovenia must be among the countries that clearly defend them.”

Janša fired back, saying that “swearing allegiance to international law while at the same time speaking of genocide in Gaza or in Judea and Samaria (aka the West Bank), which no competent institution has determined under international law — is a political choice of a special kind.”

Netanyahu stepped in to praise Janša for his moral clarity.

“Thank you PM Janša for your courage and clarity amidst EU hypocrisy,” the prime minister posted on X. “The EU remains silent when Turkey, a NATO member, illegally occupies half of Cyprus — an EU member! Yet when the Jewish people want to exercise their historic right to build and live in their ancestral homeland, the EU is outraged.”

“You reminded everyone that Slovenia is a sovereign state and an equal member of the EU. That is not a provocation. It is a right that some wish to deny,” he added. “Thank you, Janez, for your conviction and leadership.”