A diplomatic row has erupted between Israel’s ambassador to Greece, Noam Katz, and Athens mayor Haris Doukas, following accusations that city authorities failed to remove graffiti deemed antisemitic from public walls.
In a media interview, Katz claimed that Israeli tourists felt “uncomfortable” in Athens due to what he described as the municipality’s inaction against “organised groups” responsible for the graffiti. He called the alleged neglect “unacceptable.”
Doukas responded swiftly on X, defending Athens as a city that rejects racism and violence. “We don’t take democracy lessons from those who kill civilians,” he wrote, referencing Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza.
He added that most of the graffiti had already been removed, and criticised the ambassador’s focus on wall slogans while “an unprecedented genocide unfolds in Gaza.”
Political backlash and calls for government response
Greek opposition parties rallied behind Doukas. The PASOK party urged Katz to address the killing of children in Gaza, while SYRIZA offered full support to the mayor. The Communist Party declared that the Greek public overwhelmingly supports the Palestinian cause and vowed to continue mass protests against Israeli military operations.
Several MPs joined the criticism, accusing Katz of breaching diplomatic norms and calling on the Greek government to respond firmly to what they described as provocation by the Israeli mission.
Protests against Israeli tourism intensify
The controversy comes amid growing pro-Palestinian protests across Greece, particularly since the outbreak of war in Gaza in October 2023. In late July, demonstrators staged protests at ports in Rhodes, Syros, and Agios Nikolaos. On Syros island, activists successfully blocked 1,600 Israeli tourists from disembarking a cruise ship, an incident condemned by the Greek government.
In Rhodes, similar protests led to the arrest of 15 people and the detention of eight others on charges including assaulting public officials and violating Greece’s anti-racism laws.
Despite its historic support for Arab causes, Greece has deepened ties with Israel since 2010, especially in defence and energy. Israeli tourism and real estate investment in Greece have surged since the latest Gaza conflict.
