May 30 (UPI) -- The government of Slovenia accepted a proposal to recognize the State of Palestine on Thursday, positioning it to become the latest European nation to take the mostly symbolic gesture amid Israel's war in Gaza.
The central European country had initiated the process on May 9, days after Israel began its long-expected ground offensive in Rafah, despite months of ally nations warning it against doing so.
More than 145 countries formally recognize the Palestinian State, including Spain, Norway, and Ireland, which separately announced their decisions to take the step on Tuesday.
Slovenia's foreign minister, Tanja Fajon, hopes the national assembly will consider and adopt the government's decision as soon as possible, suggesting next week.
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"With the recognition of Palestine, we are realizing efforts to calm the situation in the Middle East," she said in a statement.
Fajon has been an advocate for Palestinian statehood for years, and on Thursday said that doing so is an effort to encourage the Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate a two-state solution to the protracted conflict, which exploded in full-out war on Oct. 7, when Hamas launched a bloody, surprise attack against Israel.
Since the war began with the deaths of 1,200 Israelis and the abduction of 253 more in Hamas' fall attack, more than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's months-long military response that has attracted growing international criticism and condemnation as the death toll has ballooned.
The moves came as Israel pushed into the southern Gazan city of Rafah where more than 1 million Palestinians, many displaced, some more than once, were seeking refuge. Since May 6, nearly 945,000 people have fled Rafah, according to a Wednesday update from the United Nations' relief agency for Palestinian refugees.
Fajon said the deaths, many of which are believed to be of children and women, are "sufficient warning" that the previous approach wasn't working.
"Recognition is an encouragement for peace negotiations for a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, the release of hostages, increased humanitarian aid, and the protection of civilians, and it will allow the inhabitants of Israel and Palestine to negotiate not as an occupying force and occupied territory, but on equal grounds of statehood," she said.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it "welcomes" the move by the government of Slovenia, stating that by doing so the central European country "expresses its firm commitment to the two-state solution based on ending the occupation and achieving long-awaited justice for the Palestinian people."
"The ministry, once again, calls on all countries, especially European countries, that have not yet recognized the State of Palestine, to move forward with recognition as a step towards ending the historical injustice to which the Palestinian people have been exposed for decades of occupation, and to recognize their inalienable rights and aspirations for self-determination in their independent state," it said in a statement.
Israel has ferociously lashed out at Spain, Norway, and Ireland in response to their decisions to recognize Palestine, accusing them of siding with murderers, complicit in Hamas' war crimes, and summoning their ambassadors. In response to comments made around the same time by a senior Spanish official, Israel also barred its consulate from providing services to Palestinians in the West Bank.
On Thursday, its foreign minister, Israel Katz, called on the Slovenian parliament to reject its government's proposal.
"The Slovenian government's decision to recommend that the Slovenian Parliament recognize a Palestinian state rewards Hamas for murder, rape, mutilation of bodies, beheading of babies and strengthens the Iranian axis of evil while damaging the close friendship between the Slovenian and Israeli people," he said in a statement.
