In a speech described by opposition MPs as a “far-right outburst”, Georgiadis repeated his government’s full-throated support for Israel, calling it “the only democracy in the Middle East”. He praised the country for “holding elections with 10% of Arab citizens” and accused Gaza of “not having met as a parliament since 2007”, referring to the internal Palestinian division between Fatah and Hamas.
Ignoring decades of occupation and systematic violations of international law, Georgiadis went as far as to blame Palestinians for their own genocide. “Gaza was handed over to the Palestinians,” he said, “and the first time the Israeli army entered was after the October 7 attack.” The statement distorts the well-documented history of Israel’s siege and repeated invasions of Gaza since 2005.
The minister also hailed former US President Donald Trump, claiming he had “brought peace to Gaza and expelled Hamas”, and argued that any Israeli detentions without trial were justified “by wartime conditions”.
“Selfies and TikTok”
Turning his fire on the flotilla participants, Georgiadis ridiculed the activists’ motives and singled out New Left MP Peti Perka for joining the mission. “Why are you crying that Israel kidnapped you?” he shouted. “No one kidnapped you. You were warned by a sovereign state that it was a war zone. You went on a boat to put on a show – for selfies and TikTok videos, as the left always does.”
He went on to say that the cost of rescuing the detained activists “should be charged to their personal tax accounts”, adding that they had “made fools of themselves”.
New Left: “A servile disciple of genocidal Netanyahu”
Perka and her party, the New Left, issued a sharp response, accusing the minister of “vulgarity, arrogance and contempt for humanity”.
“We will not allow far-right rhetoric to taint public discourse,” Perka said. “I didn’t expect you to understand international law, but I had hoped you would refrain from this level of extremism. Humanity, after World War II, established rules, justice and values that the left will always defend. There are people in every political family who refuse to call the murder of children ‘national interest’.”
Perka added that “history will be merciless with those who remained silent in the face of this crime”, referring to the ongoing genocide in Gaza. “How can you claim to defend our national interests when you support a state that tramples international law — the same law we invoke for Cyprus?” she asked.
In an official statement, the New Left described Georgiadis as “a servile and worshipful figure of genocidal Netanyahu”, denouncing his remarks as “the definition of political vulgarity”.
“Mr Georgiadis, as a true far-right reactionary, shifts the blame from the state that illegally detained people to the victims themselves. He legitimises the idea that solidarity is a joke, and that those who express it should be punished financially. We will not tolerate this aggression, nor the normalisation of far-right rhetoric against solidarity,” the party said.
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