The non-governmental organisation the 8th of March Institute (Inštitut 8. Marec) has found itself a new victim – this time, it is Israeli travellers or tourists who travel to Slovenia, accompanied by security guards. This is a standard measure taken by some airlines when there is a risk of terrorist attacks. Armed security guards are also used by some US airlines, more than twenty years after the 9/11 terrorist attack.
This time, the pro-government 8th of March Institute was bothered by Israir, which has had a flight connection between Tel Aviv and the Slovenian Jože Pučnik Airport since the 20th of May. As Dr Lior Volinz, a researcher at the Institute of Criminology in Ljubljana, explained to the newspaper Dnevnik, this is a standard minimum security measure followed by all Israeli security services.
Israeli airlines generally follow two types of security protocols. The first is the presence of an armed security guard on board the aircraft, and the second type refers to the presence of a security person during boarding.
Security personnel to enhance safety
The fact that Israeli airlines are also concerned about the safety of their passengers in Slovenia seems to greatly bother the 8th of March Institute. “How safe is it for a foreign country to send its own (armed) security personnel into our civilian space?” they wrote on the social network X. As if Israeli security guards were a threat to airport security, perhaps even to Slovenian sovereignty? The truth is quite the opposite, the presence of additional security officers, of course in coordination with Slovenian security authorities, only improves the level of security at the airport.
Fraport, the company that operates the airport in question, explained to Dnevnik: “The possible presence of foreign security agents outside the aircraft – for example, in the check-in area – is possible, but without independent powers and always in agreement and cooperation with the Slovenian security authorities.”
They are bothered by Israel
But as the NGOs further explained, what really bothers them is not the phantom interference in Slovenian sovereignty, but Israel itself. What really bothers them is not the security guards – they want to prevent Israeli travellers from entering Slovenia entirely, because they, like the entire Slovenian political left, accuse Israel of war crimes, even genocide. That is why there is an initiative by 20 NGOs to withdraw the airline’s permission to land in Slovenia. The Institute’s post is part of this initiative.
This is the dominant narrative that seeks external enemies at a time when one’s own country is in decline. As long as the electorate of the left is focused on what is happening in the Middle East, it is not focused on new tax burdens, inflation, waiting times in the healthcare service, and other symptoms of an incompetent government. It is also for this reason that they attack anyone who dares to break through their thought bubble. And their most vicious attacks are reserved for those from their own political camp. Which is why they attacked Borut Pahor, who dared to say on public television that there is no genocide happening in Gaza.
The fact that the 8th of March Institute has not yet embarked on a campaign to tighten sanctions against Russia is proof that this is purely an internal political battle. The NGOs are not calling on the authorities to prevent Russian tourists from coming to European soil, despite the fact that the scale of Russian aggression in Ukraine is much greater and, above all, unlike what is happening in Gaza, unprovoked. In contrast, Israel is carrying out an anti-terrorist operation in Gaza against Hamas, which is still holding a large number of Jewish hostages.
But there is an additional domestic political side to the story. The Ministry of Infrastructure granted the permit to Israir without consulting the Prime Minister’s Office. The newspaper Dnevnik reports that the latter is now demanding clarifications. Golob, like his allies in the non-governmental sector, portrays himself as a great supporter of the “Palestinian cause”.
Sara Kovač
