Harris Dukas, the Mayor of Athens, sharply criticized the Israeli ambassador to Greece, Noam Katz, after he accused local authorities of failing to remove graffiti deemed anti-Semitic and offensive to Israeli tourists. This came in a post on X, where he affirmed that city authorities reject violence and discrimination in all its forms, adding that "we do not accept lessons in democracy from those who kill civilians."

In response to the Israeli ambassador's statements reported by the newspaper "Kathimerini," in which he accused the Municipality of Athens of not making enough effort to protect the city from organized groups writing anti-Semitic slogans, Dukas pointed out that most of the graffiti he referred to had already been removed, and that the focus on this graffiti comes at a time when unprecedented genocide is being committed against Palestinians in Gaza. He emphasized that the priority should be holding accountable those who commit major crimes against humanity, not just focusing on wall drawings.

Athens has witnessed ongoing protests since the beginning of the Israeli war on Gaza, organized by activists and leftists to denounce the bombing and military aggression against the sector, and protests have also erupted in some Greek islands in objection to the arrival of cruise ships carrying Israelis. Dukas noted that the number of Israelis obtaining the "golden visa" for investment in Greece has increased by more than 90% over the past year, amid a rise in the number of tourists coming from Israel since the outbreak of the war on Gaza.

In the context of international relations, the Greek government finds itself in a sensitive position, as it maintains its historical relations with Arab countries while working to strengthen its partnerships with Israel in defense and energy sectors, despite the increasing voices in the West announcing their intention to recognize the Palestinian state, reflecting the complexity of the political landscape in the region.