Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis cautioned that Israel’s actions in Gaza could erode support from its allies and jeopardize hopes for a two-state solution.
"No military target, no matter how valuable, can justify the death of thousands of children, the forced displacement of over a million Palestinians within the Gaza Strip and the humanitarian suffering of the Palestinian people,” he told the U.N. General Assembly on Friday.
He said the urgency of the crisis was unmatched.
Greece, he recalled, had "from the very first day after (Hamas) attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, advocated for Israel’s right to defend itself against a terrorist organization that rejects Israel’s right (to exist).”
He added that Athens had consistently demanded "the immediate release of all hostages and a comprehensive cease-fire.”
Although Greece maintains a "strategic partnership with Israel,” Mitsotakis stressed that this "does not prevent us from speaking openly and frankly.”
He warned that "the continuation of this course of action will ultimately harm Israel’s own interests, leading to an erosion of international support.”
Directly addressing Israeli leaders, he added: "They risk alienating all the remaining allies if they persist on a path that is shattering the potential of a two-state solution.”
Athens, he underlined, remains committed to the creation of "a sovereign, democratic and viable state of Palestine, building its future in peace and security alongside the state of Israel.”
But he cautioned that Israeli actions in the West Bank "risk creating irreversible situations on the ground.”
"The most necessary (step) is to stop the unnecessary killing and ensure a large-scale and sustainable delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza,” Mitsotakis concluded, pledging that Greece would continue working with partners "towards a roadmap that will revive the peace process ... and offer hope to a region which has suffered so much.”
The Israeli army has killed more than 65,500 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and led to starvation and the spread of diseases.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
