Greek leftist opposition calls for official recognition of Palestine

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) - On the occasion of International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, two major Greek leftist opposition parties on Friday reiterated their demand for the government to officially recognize Palestine as a state.

Rena Dourou, head of foreign affairs for SYRIZA, emphasized the urgency of a fair resolution to the Palestinian issue, stating, “As imperative today more than ever before is the need for a just resolution of the Palestinian issue, the pivotal issue for peace with justice in the Middle East, one of the most militarized regions, including nuclear weapons. A just resolution that means the establishment of an independent and viable Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state, with the two states coexisting peacefully.”

The statement continued, “The first step in this direction is the recognition of the state of Palestine by the international community, as European countries have already done, but Greece has not.”

SYRIZA also urged the government to declare its commitment to international law by implementing the International Criminal Court’s decision to issue an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Similarly, Dimitris Koutsoumpas, general secretary of the Greek Communist Party (KKE), stated, "The only solution is the end of the Israeli occupation, with the creation of a single independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, on the borders of 1967. The unanimous decision of the Greek Parliament of 2015 to recognize the independent Palestinian state by the country should be implemented immediately."

International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People was established by the UN General Assembly in 1977.