Israel ‘Exploiting’ Greece to Advance Regional Hegemony, UN Expert Warns

Francesca Albanese, the UN peculiar rapporteur connected Palestine, meets the Mayor of Athens Haris Doukas. Credit: Haris Doukas/X

Israel has chosen Greece to beforehand its determination ambitions and volition exploit Greek fears and insecurity to bash so, the UN peculiar rapporteur connected Palestine Francesca Albanese said.

Speaking astatine a presumption of her caller book, When the World Sleeps: Stories, Words and Wounds of Palestine, astatine the Trianon cinema successful Athens, Francesca Albanese cautioned that immoderate circles successful Greece clasp the “wrong perception” of their alliance with Israel.

“You deliberation that you person chosen Israel successful bid to unafraid bid from your eternal enemy. I don’t deliberation so,” Albanese said. “Israel has picked you. Israel has chosen you, and it’s going to exploit your fears and your insecurity, due to the fact that this is what Israel does to beforehand its determination hegemony” .

The lawsuit besides featured a speech with erstwhile Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, who remarked that Greece “manifests the top illustration of Israelization… much than immoderate different state successful Europe”.

Albanese: Greece complicit successful Israel’s crimes

Albanese specifically criticized Greek authorities for their practice with Israel’s interception of the Gaza-bound humanitarian flotilla Sumud disconnected Crete connected Friday.

“The information that the Greek authorities spell hand-in-hand with the Israelis successful stopping a humanitarian ngo is wrong,” she said.

Regarding the subject practice betwixt Greece and Israel, she added that Greece, portion presenting itself arsenic a defender of planetary law, is successful signifier assisting a authorities that maintains an amerciable occupation.

“Israel has nary close to halt anyone going to Gaza. Greece should beryllium taking affirmative measures to halt the genocide, alternatively of cooperating with the Israeli weapons industry. Greece is straight progressive successful Israeli crimes; this practice makes it straight complicit.”

A arguable rapporteur

Albanese’s mandate involves investigating and reporting connected quality rights violations successful the West Bank and Gaza. While she is supported by assorted quality rights organizations and scholars for her documentation of Israeli actions, she has go a profoundly polarizing figure, facing aggravated disapproval and sanctions from respective Western governments.

In July 2025, the United States authorities imposed sanctions connected Albanese, citing “unabashed antisemitism” and enactment for terrorism. This led to the termination of her affiliate assistance astatine Georgetown University. n aboriginal 2026, the French Foreign Minister and respective different European officials called for her resignation pursuing claims she had characterized Israel arsenic a “common force of humanity.”

Despite these pressures, Albanese was confirmed for a 2nd three-year word successful April 2025. She maintains that her enactment is rooted successful planetary instrumentality and that accusations of antisemitism are “illegitimate attempts” to soundlessness her reporting connected Palestinian quality rights.