Greece is descending into open and violent Jew hatred...

..under the pretext of Palestinian and Hamas sympathy.

Greece is descending into open and violent Jew hatred under the pretext of Palestinian and Hamas sympathy.

A group of six Israeli teenagers on vacation in the Greek island of Rhodes were violently ambushed outside a nightclub by pro-Palestinian individuals from Turkey.

The attackers reportedly waited outside, then assaulted the teens—hitting, kicking, and even filming one of them during the attack. Several suffered injuries.

One of the Israeli boys told the media, “We decided to leave through the back alley. Looking back, that was a mistake. Suddenly, 20 to 25 people, who looked Arab, started chasing us.”

Some of the attackers were reportedly armed with knives.

The incident occurred just days after Israeli cruise ship passengers were barred from disembarking on another Greek island—Syros—because of pro-Palestinian protesters at Ermoupoli Port accused the Jewish state of “genocide” in its war against Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli tourists, who love Greek hospitality, are increasingly concerned for their safety in visiting Greece in the future.

Neil Bar, an expert on radical ideologies at the University of Haifa and UC Berkeley, California, warned that recent anti-Israeli incidents in Greece are part of an alarming and increasingly organized pattern.

“These aren’t isolated events,” Bar noted. “Since October 7th, we’ve seen a steady rise in targeted attacks—not just against Israeli tourists, but against Jews more broadly.”

Bar pointed to several disturbing examples in recent weeks that suggest coordination and intent.

“In the last two months alone, a Holocaust memorial in Larissa was defaced, Jewish cemeteries in Volos and Thessaloniki were desecrated, and earlier this month, men in black shirts bearing Palestinian flags were seen patrolling tourist areas in Athens like Monastiraki and the Plaka, threatening Israeli and Jewish visitors,” he said.

“It’s reached a point where the Central Jewish Council of Greece issued a public warning last month, saying Jewish tourists were being ‘attacked and described as murderers,’ simply because of their identity.”

While the Greek government in Athens generally maintains good relations with Israel, Bar said, “there’s a growing disconnect between the government’s stance and public sentiment,” with grassroots hostility becoming more visible since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, which Hamas started with the massacre of 1,200 people in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the kidnapping of 251 others.

These are not just random, isolated events given the connection between protests, attacks on tourists and recent port blockades.

Elements of Greek society—particularly on the far left, those on the anarchist fringes, and imported Middle Eastern or North African migrants from a culture of gross anti-Semitism have intensified their activism, and, increasingly, some of the incidents are tipping into violence.

Last week, anti-Israel protesters and port workers at Greece’s Port of Piraeus blocked the unloading of the cargo ship Ever Golden, which was reportedly carrying steel designated for Israel.

The protest was organized by the Container Handling Workers Union (ENEDEP), backed by anarchist groups and members of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), according to local media reports.

Other recent incidents highlight how anger over alleged Israeli actions in Gaza has occasionally escalated into outright antisemitic attacks reminiscent of those seen in 1930s Germany.

Examples include the raiding of a kosher Israeli restaurant in Athens on July 12, and a mob of pro-Palestinian protesters assaulting an Israeli tourist in the Greek capital on June 9.

Additionally, a far-left Greek terrorist organization claimed responsibility for two bombings in central Athens in April. Add to that two Israelis were stabbed in February on Ermou Street, a major shopping avenue in central Athens.

Greece has exhibited a tradition of pro-Palestinian public opinion, persisting despite the horrors inflicted on Israelis by the Palestinian Hamas invasion of Israel and the gruesome rapes, torture, murders and hostage taking on 7/10.

In fact, the events on and after October 7, 2023, have reigniting criticism and verbal attacks not against Hamas but against Israel’s response, and extension, at Israelis and Jews abroad.

Before the Second World War, there were some 80,000 Jews in 28 communities across the country. During the Holocaust, more than 65,000 Jews were murdered by the Nazis, most belong to the prominent Jewish community of Thessaloniki.

Today the number of Jews is about 5,000 nationwide.

Sadly, In the Anti-Deformation League (ADL) 2014 Global Survey of anti-Semitic attitudes, Greece occupied the unenviable position of having the highest score in the world (outside the Middle East).

Among Greeks, 69% of the population agreed with a majority of anti-Semitic stereotypes tested. The follow-up 2015 Global 100 poll confirmed this finding with a score of 67%.

However, Greece made notable global progress in reducing antisemitism over the past decade, according to the Anti-Defamation League’s Global 100 survey published in January, showing a 19-point drop in antisemitic attitudes—from 69% in 2014 to 50% today.

Analysts attribute this to sustained government action, educational reforms, and closer ties with Israel, though they caution that antisemitism remains relatively high compared to Western Europe.

The current Greek government, under Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, maintains cordial relations with Jerusalem, seeking economic and maritime alliances to counter Turkey.

Athens has demonstrated strong solidarity with the Jewish state, becoming one of the first countries to display the Israeli flag on government buildings after the Oct. 7 attack.

While Israel’s diplomatic relations with some other European countries have been tested over the ongoing multi-front war, particularly regarding the conflict’s management, Greece has remained a reliable ally.

In March, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hosted Mitsotakis in the Israeli capital.

Netanyahu said, in his welcoming remarks, “This is two blue and whites that meet. We are two ancient peoples. Our free civilizations started in Athens and Jerusalem. They have common values, and we share a common interest today and common challenges. I think that we face many opportunities, I look forward to discussing them with you.”

Israel is keen to extend major cooperation with the export of natural gas into Europe via Greece.

While the Greek government has yet to comment on the Rhodes incident, it condemned the blocking of the Israeli cruise ship in Syros.

About that incident, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar spoke with his Greek counterpart, Giorgos Gerapetritis, and requested that he intervene in Syros.

Israel’s Channel 12 News reported that Israeli Transportation Minister Miri Regev spoke with Greek Shipping Minister Vasilis Kikilias, who pledged to ensure such incidents would not be repeated and promised increased security for Israeli ships.

Responding to a JNS inquiry, the Embassy of Greece in Israel on Wednesday provided a link to an interview that Greek Government Spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis conducted with Parapolitika Radio 90.1, in which he strongly condemned the Syros incident, calling it “outrageous.”

He emphasized that “every necessary measure must be taken to ensure that in such incidents, citizens are protected, regardless of where they come from, their origin, religion or anything else.”

Marinakis stressed that antisemitism, racism and fascism would not be tolerated, distinguishing between democratic protests and the targeting of individuals because of their national origin or religious affiliation, calling such targeting “an act of absolute fascism.”

Greek Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis also responded to the Syros incident from the parliamentary podium, calling the prevention of the Israeli docking “unthinkable, unacceptable and a direct insult to Greece.”

He expressed apologies, conveyed a message of friendship and strong alliance to Israel, and pledged that those responsible for the blockade would face justice.

“This is an antisemitic attack in the fullest sense of the word, the kind we wish we only read about in history books. Such developments are very dangerous and could have a contagious effect, inspiring similar actions elsewhere.”

He concluded, “Graffiti and protests are one thing, but when you start seeing violence toward tourists, it’s clear we’ve crossed into new territory.”

Israel sincerely hopes that Greece can clamp down on radical elements who are becoming increasingly violent in expressing their hatred of Israel and Jews.

There is a current love affair between Israelis and their feelings for Greece both on the mainland and the beautiful Greek islands.

It would be a shame of this were lost by the actions of radical political and religious factions in Greece.

Barry Shaw,

Israel Institute for Strategic Studies.