Koutsoumbas questions Greek Government’s Gaza policy in Parliament
Dimitris Koutsoumbas, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), challenged Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in parliament over the government’s stance on Gaza and the recognition of an independent Palestinian state.
Speaking during the debate on the 2023 state budget, Koutsoumbas accused the government of “stubbornly refusing to condemn crimes against humanity committed by Israel,” adding that this position “stands in absolute opposition to the feelings of the overwhelming majority of the Greek people and peoples worldwide.”
He argued that the New Democracy government bears “historic responsibility” not only for rejecting condemnation of what the UN now recognizes as genocide against Palestinians, but also for becoming “a chief advocate of the Israeli state, defending the so-called ‘strategic alliance.’”
Koutsoumbas also criticized the use of Greece’s anti-racism law against pro-Palestinian solidarity demonstrations, stressing that “even within Israel, forces such as the Communist Party of Israel are denouncing the genocide and facing persecution.”
The KKE leader submitted three direct questions to the prime minister:
– What concrete initiatives will Greece undertake, particularly as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, to ensure Israel’s actions in Gaza are unequivocally condemned and pressure is applied to halt military operations?
– What steps will the government take to end Greece’s military cooperation with Israel?
– When will the government implement the unanimous 2015 parliamentary decision recognizing the State of Palestine?
