The Slovenian government has frequently criticized Israel over the war, and last year formally recognized a Palestinian state, describing it as part of its effort to end the fighting in Gaza as soon as possible.

"Slovenia is the first European country to ban the import, export and transit of arms to and from Israel," the government said in an official statement.

Spain has also previously announced it would halt dealings with Israeli arms firms, yet refained from announcing a total arms ban.

Earlier this week, a proposal to partially suspend Israel from the EU's Horizon research program, an initiative strongly promoted by Slovenia, failed after it did not receive the required support of 15 member states representing 65% of the EU population.

The post Slovenia becomes first EU state to ban arms trade with Israel appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

A new initiative aims to provide special mentoring for Slovenian startup companies looking to gain a foothold in Israel.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Last week, the Slovenian Embassy in Israel, together with public business development organization Spirit Slovenia and the Slovene Enterprise Fund, announced the launch of a new accelerator in Israel, to be managed by Arieli Capital's ETC.

The program seeks to connect selected Slovenian startups with Israeli high-tech companies, leading industry organizations, international corporations, investors, and academic institutions.

The accelerator program, which is funded by the Slovenian government, is scheduled to run in Tel Aviv from Feb. 13-April 11, and an open call for Slovenian startups is already underway, with applications accepted until mid-January, 2022.

Slovenian startups from a variety of sectors, including healthcare, fintech, foodtech, and more, are expected to take part.

"We are excited to launch the Slovenia-Israel accelerator, which will reinforce the economic and social collaboration between the growing ecosystems of both countries. The accelerator offers Slovenian startups a unique opportunity to work in the heart of one of the world's primary high-tech hubs, the startup nation of Israel," said Or Haviv, partner and head of global innovation at Arieli Capital.

"We are confident that this strategic partnership will help to advance the Slovenian startups to the forefront of the global high-tech scene," he added.

Haviv said that many countries were increasingly interested in becoming part of Israel's startup scene. "Israel became a compelling example of a tech ecosystem producing world leading innovation. Many countries would like to learn how to build a similar model," he stressed.

Slovenian Ambassador to Israel Andreja Purkart Martinez said, "Israel and Slovenia share a lot in common."

According to Martinez, "The Slovenian economy is growing fast thanks to excellent human capital, government backed investments and cutting edge research and academic institutions. We are certain that collaborating with Israel will help Slovenia's entrepreneurial and startup industry thrive and help our talented startups expand to international markets."

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post New initiative hopes to give Slovenian startups a leg-up in Israel appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Seventy-seven years after Hannah Szenes and 36 of her Jewish comrades from pre-state Israel parachuted into Slovenia during the Second World War, 107 Israeli paratroopers jumped into the European country on Tuesday, near their original drop zone. The event marked the week of Szenes' 100^th birthday anniversary.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

The historic parachute reconstruction was carried out at Krki Airport in Slovenia. The Israeli contingent was joined by paratroopers from Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia and England.

Video: Lilach Shoval

The event included two jumps. On Monday, eight Israeli paratroopers jumped at 12,000

feet with European paratroopers. Then on Tuesday, about 100 delegation members parachuted from 1,000 feet. Among the delegation members was the commander of the IDF's Depth Corps, Maj. Gen. Itai Virov, Paratrooper Brigade commander Col. Yuval Gez, and Brig.-Gen. Ofer Winter, commander of the 98th Paratroopers Division.

After landing, the paratroopers marched through the forests near the town of Draga where Partisan fighters lived during the war.

The members of the delegation were divided into four teams of 27 participants, each including a commander with a rank of Lt. Col. and above, as well as an expert guide in the Holocaust, who accompanied the troops throughout the journey. One of the guides will be Lt. Col. (ret.) Simcha Goldin, the father of Lt. Hadar Goldin, whose remains currently are being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

On Wednesday, a monument will be erected in memory of the paratroopers who fought bravely and courageously during World War II in the city of Čakovec. The monument will be erected on the spot where Hannah Szenes was imprisoned.

Thursday, the last day of the trip, will focus on Hungarian Jewry and a meeting with the local

Jewish community. The journey will be concluded with a ceremony at the grave of Hannah Szenes, in the cemetery in Kozma, Hungary, in parallel with a ceremony at the Diaspora Museum in Israel.

"The main goal of this journey is to strengthen the sense of mission and the memory of heroism," said Col. Gez, the commander of the IDF Paratrooper's Brigade.

Szenes was one of 250 Jewish men and women from pre-state Israel, or Mandatory British Palestine, who volunteered for operations run by British organizations MI9 and the Special Operations Executive beginning in 1943, of which 37 were selected to carry out the mission.

Their mission was to organize resistance to the Nazis, aid in the rescue of Allied personnel and carry out assignments set by the Jewish Agency of Palestine recruits.

On March 14, 1944, Szenes and two fellow colleagues were parachuted into former Yugoslavia and were arrested by Hungarian police when they tried to cross into Hungary. She refused to reveal anything except her name, despite being tortured in prison, and in October 1944 she was tried for treason. She was then executed by a firing squad on November 7, 1944.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post IDF marks Hannah Szenes' 100th birthday with jump into Slovenia appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

The government of Slovenia has decided to declare Hezbollah a terrorist organization, Israel's Foreign Ministry reported Monday. In its decision, Slovenia joins Austria, Germany, and Switzerland who have recently made similar declarations regarding the terrorist organization.

 Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

The Slovenian government's decision is another step in the Foreign Ministry's efforts to increase international pressure on Hezbollah. The ministry is leading an inter-agency effort to increase international pressure on the terrorist group, and in the last year and a half, 16 countries have joined the list of countries that recognize Hezbollah and all its branches as a terrorist organization. Of these, nine countries did so in the last six months.

With its decision, Slovenia becomes the sixth European Union member after the Netherlands, Germany, Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia to recognize the Iranian-sponsored Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

"I welcome the decision of the government of Slovenia to recognize all branches of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. This decision joins similar decisions made in recent months by governments in Europe and Latin America. Hezbollah first and foremost harms the citizens of Lebanon itself and holds them hostage in the service of Iranian interests," Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said.

Ashkenazi called on additional countries and the European Union to join the pressure on Hezbollah, to outlaw its activities, and to recognize the organization and all its branches as a terrorist organization.

This article was first published by i24NEWS.

The post Slovenia becomes 6th EU member to declare Hezbollah a terrorist group appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.