ATHENS ( WNAM MONITORING ): Greece and Israel on Sunday discussed further deepening of the bilateral military ties amid ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza.
In a meeting between visiting Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis with his Israeli counterpart in Jerusalem, they “reaffirmed the strategic relationship between Greece and Israel and discussed the further deepening of bilateral cooperation, particularly in the field of defense,” read a statement by the Greek Prime Minister’s Office.
“We also want to focus on our economic cooperation, but also on our defense cooperation, which is particularly important for us in Greece,” Mitsotakis emphasized.
While the premiers exchanged views on regional developments, with an emphasis on the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as on the challenges in Syria, Lebanon and the Red Sea, Mitsotakis underlined the importance of connectivity and energy projects of common interest for stability in the region.
“He (Mitsotakis) also noted the need to release the (Israeli) hostages and halt Israeli operations in Gaza,” the statement added.
Netanyahu, for his part, praised the “constantly improving bilateral ties.”
Before, Netanyahu, Mitsotakis also met the Israeli President Isaac Herzog as part of his visit.
Emphasizing the importance he attaches to the strategic partnership between the two countries, Mitsotakis expressed hope both for the swift and unconditional release of the Israeli captives held by Hamas and a new ceasefire in Gaza when he made remarks before the start of the meeting with Herzog, according to a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office.
Herzog, for his part, also underlined the importance he attaches to both the relations with Greece and his friendship with Mitsotakis.
However, Greek sources reported that there will be no meeting with the Palestinian authorities owing to the conflicting schedules of the concerned parties.
Meanwhile, left-wing Greek opposition parties voiced strong condemnation for the visit.
SYRIZA called the visit “another extremely provocative move by the premier.”
“Mr. Mitsotakis, visiting Jerusalem amid the collapse of the ceasefire and the resumption of Israeli attacks, is indifferent to the genocide in Gaza and does not meet with the Palestinian side, for Greece to function as a pillar of stability, which we have traditionally guaranteed. On the contrary, the exclusively bilateral nature of his visit is, in essence, an endorsement of Netanyahu’s policy,” the party warned in a statement.
President of the New Left party Alexis Haritsis said on Facebook that “shame” is the only word that can characterize the visit.
“The prime minister’s embrace with Netanyahu, the mastermind of the genocide in Gaza and wanted by the International Criminal Court, brutally violates every concept of political morality,” he said.
Thirty-three Palestinians, including 13 children, were killed and several others injured since early Sunday in Israeli airstrikes across several areas in the Gaza Strip on the first day of Eid al-Fitr.
The Israeli army launched a surprise aerial campaign on the Gaza Strip on March 18, killing over 920 people, injuring more than 2,000 others, and shattering the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.
More than 50,250 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 114,000 have been injured in a brutal Israeli military onslaught on Gaza since October 2023.
