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Greek journalist John Kountouris said Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration are serving the interests of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following a recent trilateral summit involving Israel, Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency in Brussels, Kountouris said the Jan. 22 meeting held in West Jerusalem reflect policies aligned with what he described as Israel’s broader regional agenda.
He argued that both Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration are acting in line with Netanyahu’s interests, rather than pursuing independent foreign policies.
Kountouris said Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ visit to Israel was based on what he called “wrong and misleading assumptions.”
While energy cooperation was cited as a justification, Kountouris said the visit was instead linked to Israel’s ambitions in the Middle East and Europe.
He criticized Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration for maintaining agreements with Israel rather than condemning or sanctioning Israel over its policies toward Palestinians.
Kountouris said such cooperation amounted to rewarding Israel despite what he described as acts of destruction and violations in Palestinian territories.
He also accused Israel of systematically destroying Hellenistic cultural elements in Palestinian areas and killing Greek Orthodox Christians, saying Mitsotakis failed to address these issues during his engagement with Israeli officials.
Kountouris claimed the United States was steering Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration to act in Israel’s interests.
He linked this dynamic to Washington’s efforts to control natural gas pipelines in the region and to exclude Russia and Türkiye from playing major roles in the energy sector.
He further alleged that past Greek cooperation with Russia on supplying natural gas to the Balkans was halted following actions by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency against former Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis, a claim he raised while discussing external influence on Greek energy policy.
Netanyahu, Mitsotakis and Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides met at the trilateral summit in West Jerusalem, where defense cooperation featured prominently.
The meeting prompted criticism from commentators who said Netanyahu was seeking closer ties with Mitsotakis amid increasing international isolation.
Some analysts said Mitsotakis would face harsh judgment for engaging with Netanyahu, while others criticized his characterization of Israel as a democratic state.
Critics have also accused Greece of complicity in Israel’s actions and contributing to violations of international law.
Mitsotakis also visited Netanyahu on April 1, 2025, becoming the first European leader to meet the Israeli prime minister in Israel after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant over war crimes in Gaza.
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