According to a report by the Greek opposition newspaper Efimerida ton Syntakton, Androulakis submitted a detailed letter to the President of the Parliament, Nikitas Kaklamanis, on Monday morning. The letter requests an urgent debate to update the unanimous resolution passed on December 22, 2015. That historic resolution called for Greece to recognize Palestinian statehood and for the government to undertake all possible diplomatic efforts to restart direct peace negotiations. Androulakis's new initiative aims to translate that nine-year-old parliamentary will into concrete government action.
In his letter, Androulakis painted a grim picture of the current situation, arguing that the crisis has entered a "perilous phase." He cited the Hamas terrorist attack of October 2023 and the ensuing Israeli military operations as creating an "explosive" environment. The PASOK leader highlighted the devastating human toll, referencing UNICEF estimates that over 60,000 people have been killed, 80% of whom are civilians, including approximately 18,000 children. He further decried the near-total destruction of Gaza, the systematic obstruction of humanitarian aid leading to famine, and the forced displacement of its population.
Citing the stated intentions of the Israeli government, Androulakis made the severe accusation that the military operations "have as their sole objective the complete evacuation of the Gaza Strip of all its Palestinian inhabitants and, therefore, constitute an act of ethnic cleansing." He asserted that in the face of such "flagrant violations of international and humanitarian law," the Greek Parliament "cannot but articulate its own distinct voice against human suffering, destruction, and systematic ethnic cleansing—without balancing or maintaining equal distances from horror."
The opposition leader concluded by framing the recognition of a Palestinian state as more urgent than ever. He urged Parliament to reassert Greece's "sincere and unconditional commitment to the two-state solution," based on UN resolutions, calling it "the only just and sustainable option for the peaceful and secure coexistence of the peoples of the long-suffering region." The call places the issue squarely before the government, challenging it to align its foreign policy with the long-standing, cross-party position of the country's legislative body.
Photo: The source