The new massacre in Gaza, with the murder of over 60 people by the Israeli Armed Forces, bears the signature of two murderous governments: the one of Benjamin Netanyahu and the one of Donald Trump. Israel and the United States are the main culprits of this horrific crime.
However, there are accomplices to the crime. They are the so-called "allies" of the governments of Netanyahu and Trump. They can't hide their responsibilities for the slaughter of the Palestinian people. The European Union, for example, is trying to keep equal distances from both the predator and his victim by suggesting "self-restraint" to both sides.
The same applies for the Greek government of SYRIZA. The "self-restraint" argument was expressed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Kotzias in his statement over the Gaza massacre.
Here is what the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs said about the recent events: "It is imperative that restraint be shown in order to avoid further escalation and more victims. Israel needs to respect the right to peaceful demonstration and avoid the use of disproportionate force. On their part, Hamas and all those organizing the protests in the Gaza Strip need to ensure the peaceful nature of these protests". Very diplomatic and carefully written in order to keep equal distances from both sides.
However, the Greek government of Alexis Tsipras isn't just a neutral spectator of the situation in Gaza. It is the Tsipras' government which constantly upgrades its economic and military collaboration with Netanyahu's Israel, thus creating a new "alliance" in eastern Mediterranean, the one between Greece, Cyprus and Israel.
Just a week ago, during the trilateral meeting in Nicosia, Mr Tsipras was talking about Greece's "strategic" partnership with Israel, stating that he "shares" his counterpart's concerns about security issues in the region. What kind of concerns does Netanyahu have, as long as he and his allies are the ones who threaten peace and security in the Middle East?
The SYRIZA-ANEL coalition government, under the premiership of Mr Tsipras, has been highlighted as one of the most loyal allies of the Israeli state. From common military exercises to common energy projects, Athens and Tel Aviv are gradually strengthening their collaboration in many sectors. Of course, that goes together with the Greek government's strong loyalty to NATO and the U.S, the upgrade of NATO military bases across the country, the deeper involvement of Greece in the dangerous imperialist plans of USA-NATO-EU in the broader region.
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| July 2014: SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras wearing a palestinian scarf during a demonstration in Athens. |
On that point, we must remind that the government of Mr Tsipras is still denying to implement the December 2015 unanimous decision of the Greek Parliament regarding the recognition of the state of Palestine. Apparently, in his effort to please his new ally Benjamin Netanyahu, Tsipras has no hesitation to throw the decisions of the Parliament in the trash bin.
The issue of Palestine is a very characteristic example of the mounting hypocrisy of SYRIZA's social democracy. It wasn't a long time ago when the then opposition leader Alexis Tsipras was wearing a palestinian scarf during a pro-palestinian demonstration in Athens.
The working class, the people in Greece who love peace and justice, must stand by the side of the Palestinian men and women who are struggling for their rights. At the same time, the Israeli aggression and occupation must be strongly condemned, as well as the shameful and hypocritical stance of the SYRIZA coalition government.
