The PASOK-Movement for change leader Nikos Androulakis explained on a radio programme why his party refused to sign the joint statement issued by the Greek Communist Party (KKE), SYRIZA, Course of Freedom, and New Left. The statement was addressed to Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Minister of Foreign Affairs Giorgos Gerapetritis and condemned the atrocities being suffered by the Palestinian people. A year and a half after the operation Al-Aqsa Flood, and with at least 53,939 Palestinians killed, Androulakis insisted that the statement should have included a clear condemnation of "the jihadist actions of Hamas" before he could consider signing it.

Speaking to Real FM, the PASOK leader said:

“Inviting Mahmoud Abbas to speak in Parliament is, in my view, a positive step. It should happen both in the Greek Parliament and at the European level. We need to hear both sides, and ultimately, the Palestinian issue must be resolved based on UN resolutions. What we ask for in Cyprus – respect for international law and human rights – is what we should also ask for when it comes to Palestine.”

He went on to explain his party’s decision not to support the statement:

“A text that doesn’t condemn Hamas’ jihadist practices, that says nothing about the hostages being held – that’s a text with serious omissions. Without those elements, we simply weren’t going to sign it.”

Androulakis also described what’s happening in Gaza as ethnic cleansing, arguing that “an entire people are being forcibly and violently driven from their land.” He criticised the Greek government’s alignment with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Why should Greece be aligned with Netanyahu?” he asked. “Let me be clear: the alliance with Israel is valuable – PASOK initiated it back in 2010. But that alliance should never mean full political alignment with Netanyahu.”

He defended PASOK’s decision to engage with the state of Israel, which he referred to as an apartheid state, and stressed the need for consistency in international relations.

“As a nation that has suffered at the hands of those who treat international relations like a jungle, we must take a stand. We don’t want a world ruled by the law of the strongest. We want clear rules – for everyone.”

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