AI-Summary – News For Tomorrow
Greece, historically distant from Israel, has undergone a significant shift since the October 7th attacks. The Greek government quickly expressed strong support, projecting the Israeli flag and resisting European pressure to isolate Israel. This contrasts sharply with past affiliations with Arab causes and high rates of antisemitism. However, the pro-Israel turn faces domestic opposition, with protests and acts of vandalism revealing a divide between government policy and popular sentiment. The government is actively defending the relationship. Similar transformations are occurring in Cyprus and other European countries. The key challenge is ensuring the long-term durability of this alignment amidst domestic pressures and regional instability.
News summary provided by Gemini AI.
(Photo credit: Adobe Stock/Aleks Taurus)
For decades, Greece stood apart from most of Europe in its posture toward Israel. It recognized the Jewish state only grudgingly, aligned itself with Arab nationalist causes throughout the Cold War, and waited until 1990 — the last country in the European bloc — to establish full diplomatic relations. The Greece of former Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou embraced the Palestine Liberation Organization; the Greece of the 2000s tolerated movements like Golden Dawn that trafficked openly in antisemitic tropes. As recently as 2020, an ADL survey found that 69% of Greeks harbored antisemitic attitudes, the highest rate in Europe.
Oct. 7, 2023, accelerated that transformation. Greece was among the first countries to project the Israeli flag onto its Parliament. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis flew to Israel within days, met with hostage families and publicly described himself as a “true friend.” Even as European pressure mounted over Gaza, Athens resisted calls to downgrade relations or isolate Jerusalem.
But Greece’s pro-Israel turn remains contested at home. The Gaza war reignited large protests, particularly in port cities and tourist centers. Israeli cruise ships were blocked from docking; Jewish cemeteries and Holocaust memorials were vandalized; and dockworkers refused to load cargo bound for Israel. These incidents revealed a persistent gap between government policy and popular sentiment.
The response from Athens has been telling. Ministers condemned the protests as shameful. Police protected Israeli visitors. Local officials and business leaders staged counterdemonstrations insisting that Israelis remained welcome. The message was clear: Greece’s leadership is invested in this relationship — and willing to defend it.
Greece is not alone. Cyprus has undergone a similar maturation, evolving from cautious engagement to deep energy, intelligence and defense coordination with Israel. Even traditionally skeptical European states such as Austria and the Czech Republic have strengthened their political commitments since Oct. 7, signaling that Israel’s partnerships in Europe are becoming more differentiated — and more resilient.
The question now is durability. Strategic alignment forged by shared interests and crises must eventually be sustained by public legitimacy. Greek leaders understand this tension. “Friends must speak hard truths,” Mitsotakis has said — a recognition that support cannot be unconditional, but neither can it be opportunistic.
Still, the shift is unmistakable. A country that once kept Israel at arm’s length now stands closer to it than almost any European nation. The challenge ahead is not whether this new alignment is real. It is whether it can endure the pressures of democratic politics, prolonged war and a region that rarely allows friendships to remain uncomplicated for long.
