Slovenia endorses UN Gaza crisis resolution despite reservations

The initial proposal of the resolution, put forward by Jordan, was unacceptable to a large share of General Assembly members because it did not condemn terrorism.

Allegedly, Slovenia was not willing to endorse the document as it was on Thursday and diplomatic sources have said it would have likely abstained, like other EU countries.

It was then agreed in negotiations that all types of violent acts against Palestinian and Israeli civilians be condemned, including terrorist act and provocations, incitement and destruction.

After the wording was tweaked, some of the larger EU countries endorsed it, including France and Spain, while Germany and Italy abstained.

Austria, Croatia, Czechia and Hungary voted against and the resolution was strongly criticised by the US and Israel for not mentioning Hamas.

Alongside Slovenia, the resolution was also endorsed by Spain, Luxembourg, Belgium and Ireland. The EU countries have provided a joint explanation that they support the document because it listed much needed measures for the protection of civilian lives and increase in humanitarian aid.

However, they underlined that the document did not fully reflect their positions and explicitly condemned terrorist acts by Hamas in Israel since 7 October. They also condemned taking hostages and urged their immediate and unconditional release.

The group also explicitly noted Israel's right to self defence in line with international law, and the importance of the political process in the direction of a two-state solution. They also expressed regret that the Security Council had not been able to adopt a position on the situation in the Middle East.

The Slovenian government quoted the prime minister in a tweet, saying that a strong and clear message for the protection of civilians had been sent with the support for the resolution from the vast majority of UN member states, including Slovenia.