CAIRO, July 13, 2026 (WAFA) – Secretary-General of the League of Arab States Nabil Fahmy sent two official letters to Slovenian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tone Kajzer and European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas, following statements by the Slovenian Prime Minister regarding his government’s intention to withdraw Slovenia’s recognition of the State of Palestine and relocate its embassy from Tel Aviv to occupied Jerusalem.
In his letter to the Slovenian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Fahmy called for a careful reconsideration of this negative and rejected course of action, stressing that there is no basis in international law for what has been described as the “withdrawal of recognition” of a state recognized by more than three-quarters of the international community.
He affirmed that the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination constitutes a peremptory norm binding on all states, as confirmed by the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice on July 19, 2024, which obliges all states not to recognize as legal the unlawful Israeli presence in the occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and not to provide any assistance in maintaining it.
Fahmy also stressed that relocating the Slovenian embassy to Jerusalem would constitute an explicit violation of UN Security Council Resolution 478 of 1980, which deemed Israeli measures seeking to alter the character and status of Jerusalem null and void and called on states to withdraw their diplomatic missions from the city.
He added that such a move would also contradict Security Council resolutions 242, 338 and 2334, as well as the unified European position that considers Jerusalem a final-status issue to be resolved only through negotiations and as the future capital of the two states.
In his letter to the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Fahmy warned of the seriousness of the Slovenian precedent, saying it could encourage other countries to adopt a similar approach.
He said allowing a member state to consider recognition of the State of Palestine as a reversible decision subject to changes in government would open the door to similar steps, undermining the credibility of European commitments to the two-state solution and the collective European position supporting Palestinian rights, which has earned significant Arab appreciation.
Fahmy stressed that the League of Arab States counts on the European Union to take the right course, calling on EU institutions to reaffirm, clearly and at the highest levels, that member states’ recognition of the State of Palestine is irreversible and cannot be withdrawn.
He added that relocating embassies to Jerusalem contradicts the unified European position and binding Security Council resolutions, stressing that these announced steps come at a time when the Palestinian people are enduring suffering beyond description. He said that any measures that prejudge the status of Jerusalem or undermine the international standing of the State of Palestine would not serve peace, but would instead encourage the occupation forces and the annexation project.
Fahmy renewed the League of Arab States’ commitment to working toward a just, comprehensive and lasting peace based on the two-state solution and the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, affirming that the General Secretariat remains ready to engage in dialogue with European partners based on these principles and foundations.
T.R.
