Greece’s relations to Israel and Palestine over time
There are several reasons why Greece has a close interest in the developments in the Middle East, and especially between Israel and Palestine. First of all, the proximity to the area. As Europe’s easternmost place along with Cyprus, it is very close to the Middle East and naturally observes what is going on in the area.
Also, Greece has historically had strong bonds with both Palestine and Israel because of the large populations of Palestinians and Jewish people living in the country. Especially in Thessaloniki which I am aware of, there had been a thriving Jewish community till WWII, which has dwindled since then, but still having significant numbers of people. Likewise, in Thessaloniki there has been a big Palestinian community for a long time, integrated in the fabric of the society and being active maintaining strong bonds with their homeland.
Official connections between the countries
Both in the past and in the present, Greek governments have had relationships with Palestine and Israel. A very prominent figure in the Greek politics of the past, former Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou had very close relationships with the Palestinian politician Yaser Arafat, who he supported and provided solidarity to, honoring their friendship multiple times. Hence, the connection between Greece and Palestine has been strong throughout all those years and a lot of politicians still support Palestine, its sovereignty and its fight for freedom.
In recent years Greek governments have established strong ties with the state of Israel as well, in the fields of tourism, business, and military training. A lot of initiatives to bring in tourists from Israel have taken place, connecting cities in the two countries by air, and advertising one another as holiday destinations. Also, companies from Israel are investing in Greece, and military units cooperate on combined military exercises and exchange of weapons and knowhow.
What the government standing is now
The approach the Greek government has been maintaining towards Israel since the beginning of the destruction of Gaza is not very clear to me. In terms of communicating their stance, the Greek government has clarified that they support the ceasefire and have raised its worries, through the Prime Minister, on the extremely violent way Israel reacted against the peoples of Gaza. They have also offered humanitarian aid to the Palestinians through official channels.
However, such statements and actions, positive as they may be, cannot compensate for the fact that officials such as the Health Minister, occasionally make dubious comments on events pertinent to the situation in Gaza. Similarly, visits to Israel by officials, show an approach that wouldn’t be described as condemning, in any case. Both governments consider one another as close allies, and this reflects on their official demeanor.
Action in favor of Palestine
Action supporting Palestine in Greece is mainly taken by left-wing parties especially those not represented in the parliament, and representatives of the anarchism movement. Also labor unions have pro-Palestine activity organizing protests and strikes in favor of Palestine among other reasons. There are websites where pro-Palestinte activity is organized and communicated, the most prominent ones being those of Athens.indymedia and kinimatorama, as well as the individual websites or social media pages of each supporting entity. Also, some of the parties in the parliament, have occasionally voiced their support to Palestine and they have called for its recognition as a state. Furthermore, actions such as that of the dockers union in the port of Piraeus blocking the transport of ammunition to Israel showcase that there are more substantial ways than simply protesting to manifest our support for Palestine.
Personal estimation
It seems to me that in official terms Greece has a neutral approach towards the conflict. It ostensibly seems to maintain a good relationship with both parties, however, in essence it looks more like a pretext. I think that the current government has decided to align the country with the U.S. and the other European countries which either openly, or silently support Israel disregarding the enormous humanitarian crimes it is committing.
