Slovenia on Thursday imposed a travel ban on Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a statement by a member of the government of the southern Central European country on the social platform X.

“In doing so, Slovenia reaffirms its commitment to international peace and the universal values of human rights as part of its principled and consistent foreign policy,” said Neva Grasic, State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, according to the government’s X account.

The move, the first by a European country, follows a fiery speech delivered at the UN General Assembly in New York by the country’s president, Nataša Pirc Musar, who said, “We did not stop the Holocaust, we did not stop the genocide in Rwanda, we did not stop the genocide in Srebrenica. We must stop the genocide in Gaza.”

Slovenia was also the first EU country to impose an arms embargo on Israel, following its decision to declare two Israeli ministers, Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, persona non grata, alleging they had made “genocidal statements” against Palestinians.

In the summer of 2024, Slovenia followed in the footsteps of Norway, Spain, and Ireland in recognizing an independent Palestinian state and has been among the most vocal European nations in its criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Diplomatic pressure is mounting against Israel, as France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, and other countries recognized Palestine following official declarations in New York.