ALBAWABA - On Sunday, Athens Mayor Haris Doukas scolded Israeli Ambassador Noam Katz harshly for criticizing how the city dealt with writing that was said to be racist. Doukas didn't believe Katz's claims and instead said that the real moral problem was Israel's current military operation in Gaza.
Doukas wrote on the social media site X that the city "rejects violence and discrimination in all forms." He also said, "We will not accept democracy lessons from those who kill civilians." His comments were about Israel's war on Gaza, which has been going on for almost two years and has been criticized around the world.
Katz said in comments published by the Greek newspaper Kathimerini that the Athens government wasn't doing its job of getting rid of writing that Israeli tourists found offensive. This led to the fight. Katz said tourist complaints about the city's silence on racist signs written by "organized groups" were making people upset.
Doukas replied that a lot of the graffiti had already been cleaned up. He also said it was "outrageous" that the ambassador would be so focused on wall words and not on what he called "an unprecedented genocide" in Gaza.
A lot of protests against Israel's war in Gaza have happened in Athens. A lot of leftist groups and campaigners have spoken out against the bombing, and similar protests have happened on Greek islands when cruise ships bringing Israeli tourists have come through.
The mayor also talked about how more Israelis are investing in Greece. He said that over 90% more Israelis have gotten the country's "golden visa" for investors in the last year. Since the war in Gaza started, there have also been more Israeli tourists.
The Greek government has to find a good political balance between its long-standing links with Arab countries and its growing military and energy partnerships with Israel. Tensions are high because about 15 Western countries are making noises about their plans to accept a Palestinian state.
