Country That Has Had Change Of Heart Towards Israel

Nadene Goldfoot                                              

                                                      MELANIA

Slovenia’s new government announced Thursday that it has canceled all measures previously imposed against Israel and Israeli officials, including political and economic restrictions as well as a weapons export and import embargo.

Ivan Janša (Slovene:; born 17 September 1958), 63 years old, better known as Janez Janša , is a Slovenian politician who has served as Prime Minister of Slovenia since 2026, a position he previously held from 2004 to 2008, from 2012 to 2013 and from 2020 to 2022.. 

Under previous center-left leadership, Slovenia was one of Israel's most vocal European critics, recognizing the State of Palestine in May 2024 and implementing strict diplomatic and trade embargoes. Janša's government officially reset these relations by enacting the following changes:

 Revoked a 2025 decision that banned the export, import, and transit of military equipment between the two nations. 

 Dropped entry restrictions and cancelled 'persona non grata' declarations against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. 

Removed the Palestinian flag from the main government building in Ljubljana, symbolizing a sharp shift back to pro-Israel diplomatic alignment. 

Slovenia happens to be the home of Melania, wife of President Trump.  She had found work as a model, a very successful one, in Italy, France and Germany before arriving in New York.  

 The Slovenian Foreign Ministry emphasized that these measures were never actually implemented and that their reversal will allow a return to “normal political dialogue” with Israel. 

Officials said the government intends to expand cooperation with Israel in areas such as innovation, digital technologies, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, water management, sustainable agriculture, health, science, and economic collaboration.                           

                Gideon Sa'ar, Foreign Minister  of Israel, praised the moves on X, calling Prime Minister Janša “a courageous leader and a true friend of Israel” and expressing optimism for joint initiatives.

  Born in 1966, 59 years old Gideon Moshe Serchensky (later Sa'ar) was born in Tel Aviv. 

 He has two siblings, a brother and a sister. His father was a doctor, while his mother was a teacher.

Sa'ar's mother Bruriah was born in Israel to a seventh-generation Bukharian Jewish family, whose ancestors arrived during the Ottoman Empire. His father Shmuel Serchensky (Заречанский in Cyrillic) was born in Argentina in an Ashkenazi family with roots in Moldova and Ukraine. Shmuel Serchensky immigrated to Israel from Argentina in the 1960s 

Israel also announced plans to open an embassy in the capital city Ljubljana as soon as possible.

Following a change in government in Slovenia, newly elected Prime Minister Janez Janša initiated a diplomatic reset with Israel. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar responded by praising Janša's reversal of previous policies and announcing that Israel will establish its first-ever resident embassy in Ljubljana, signaling a significant thaw in bilateral ties..  Do you think that somehow Melania had something to do with it?