Varoufakis: Alliance with Israel is stupid even if you fear Türkiye

Former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said a strategic alliance with what he called apartheid Israel is a stupid idea even for those who see Türkiye as a threat, adding that Greece and Türkiye share common interests.

Former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, founder of the MeRA25 party, sharply criticized Greece’s strategic rapprochement with Israel. Speaking on TRT World’s Strait Talk program, he said that even if one considers Türkiye a danger to Greece, forming a strategic alliance with what he called apartheid Israel is a stupid idea.

Varoufakis stressed that he was criticizing the Israeli state rather than its people. Addressing the Greek government, he asked how Athens, while voicing concern about what Greeks call the occupied areas of northern Cyprus, could allow Netanyahu to do whatever he wants in the occupied Palestinian territories.

He said politicians on both sides of the Aegean should end the atmosphere of tension, noting that Greece and Türkiye share common interests, and that his party’s position is clear: drilling the seabed for gas and oil should stop.

Greece signed a roughly 3 billion euro deal with Israel in August for a multilayered air defense system, and the growing ties have fueled tensions between Athens and Ankara.