Greece's opposition party calls on government to recognize Palestine as state

Greece's opposition New Left party on Wednesday called on the government to recognize Palestine as a state, as three other European nations have already done earlier in the day.

Referring to Norway, Ireland, and Spain's recognition of Palestine as a state earlier on Wednesday, the party said in a statement, “Europe standing on the right side of history.

“Days after the attorney general's proposal to the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants against (Israeli Prime Minister) Benjamin Netanyahu and members of the political and military leadership of the State of Israel for involvement in crimes against humanity and war crimes, these decisions constitute a minimal act of solidarity. However, they mainly constitute an act of defense of International Law, human rights, peace, (and) humanity.”

The Greek government must immediately put itself on the right side of history, it said, stressing the need to proceed with recognition of the State of Palestine on the borders of 1967, based on the unanimous resolution of the Greek Parliament in 2015.

The party urged the government to "abandon the strategy of Netanyahu's most willing and ardent ally and withdraw the frigate Hydra from military operations in the Red Sea."

It also called on the other social-democratic parties in the Greek parliament, SYRIZA and PASOK, to work together to pressure the government to recognize Palestine as a state.

The New Left party statement came after Norway, Ireland, and Spain announced on Wednesday that they would recognize Palestine as a state as of May 28.

The announcements by the three European countries come as Israel continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in the besieged enclave.

Palestine is already recognized by eight European countries: Bulgaria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, Sweden, and the Greek Cypriot administration.

Over 35,700 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and nearly 80,000 others injured since last October following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas.

More than seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered it to ensure that its forces do not commit acts of genocide and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.