Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met today with the President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, in Jerusalem.
At the beginning of their meeting, Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Isaac Herzog had the following dialogue:
Isaac Herzog: Welcome, Prime Minister Mitsotakis. You’re a dear friend of mine and of the State of Israel. I want to welcome you on this very important visit. You are coming to Israel when we are inundated with worry and pain about our hostages in Gaza, dozens and dozens of Israelis and non-Israelis who are there in the dungeons of Gaza, alive and dead in the midst of a barbaric treatment. We are getting very disturbing reports about their medical situation. And of course, the cruelty that has been Hamas’s way of behaving has been tormenting families and the entire nation.
So this is the highest priority of our nation. As we’ve discussed it, we’ll discuss it here again, in which way nations can support and help. It has to be clear in the family of nations, this is something that’s totally unacceptable. That is why we are now pursuing military operations in order to get back our hostages.
We sincerely hope that today, when it is the Eid al-Fitr, the celebration of our Muslim citizens here and Muslims in the region and all over the world, it is the time to release them all as a token of the blessing of this holiday, and of course, that’s something which is the moral obligation of them all.
Thank you for being supportive and being with us in this incredible partnership between Greece and Israel, which is embodied also in another tragedy of the Karussis family, whose son, Jonas, a beautiful boy, was killed in a terrible terror attack in Jaffa. Their life is intertwined between Israel and Greece. Actually with Israel for decades already, but of course, with Greece. I want to thank you for speaking and meeting the parents of Jonas and of course, we are very moved that both of you are here, hoping that his memory will be a blessing to all of us and hoping that terror will never reign in the region which is tormented with terror. Thank you very much.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Thank you, Mr. President, for this very warm welcome and for honouring me with your friendship. You know how much value we place in the strategic partnership between Greece and Israel. And indeed, I come to Israel once more in a very, very difficult, in very turbulent times.
Let me add my voice to those who call for the immediate and unconditional release of all the hostages. But let me also add my voice to those who express a sincere hope that as quickly as possible, there will be a new ceasefire in Gaza, and that finally, the release of the hostages will be accompanied by a framework that will allow us all to think about the day after.
Let me also, again, express my heartfelt sympathy and on behalf of all the Greek people, express my condolences to the parents of Jonas, of Ionas. I had the opportunity to meet them in Athens, and we will be very pleased, very soon to announce a scholarship programme honouring Ionas to bring closer young students who want to study either in Israel or in Greece. I think it is the least we can do to honour his memory.
Again, Mr. President, thank you for the very warm welcome, and I’m looking forward to the discussions I will have both with you and with the Prime Minister.
