'Private Mossad' goes after pro-Palestinian leader in Slovenia

Key Points:

• Slovenia’s recent national elections saw Prime Minister Robert Golob’s liberal Freedom Movement narrowly defeat the right-wing Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS), but the process has been overshadowed by allegations of foreign interference involving private Israeli intelligence firm Black Cube.
• Investigations reveal that Black Cube operatives, including former Israeli security officials, allegedly engaged in covert operations to aid SDS leader Janez Janša by wiretapping and leaking conversations aimed at undermining the incumbent government ahead of the elections.
• The interference appears linked to Slovenia’s outspoken foreign policy stance critical of Israel’s actions in Gaza, including support for a ceasefire, recognition of Palestinian statehood, and bans on Israeli weapons trade and visits by extremist Israeli ministers.
• Slovenia’s Intelligence and Security Agency confirmed these activities as foreign interference, prompting Prime Minister Golob to urge the European Commission to investigate, but Brussels has remained notably silent, raising concerns about selective enforcement of EU protections against hybrid threats.
• This incident tests the European Union’s commitment to defending member states’ sovereignty and democratic processes against external meddling, especially when such interference stems from an ally like Israel rather than traditional adversaries.