Greek Jewry Worried Over Far-Left Elections Win
Anti-Austerity Syriza party wins in the elections; neo-Nazi group in third. Is the country’s relationship with Israel at stake?
The leftist and anti-austerity Syriza party has won the elections in Greece, international media reported Sunday, taking some 35-38% of the final votes, according to exit polls.
The win signals a reversal for the Greek government, as the ruling New Democratic Party came in distant second with 26-28% of the vote, according to BBC.
In third is the Neo-Nazi ‘Golden Dawn’ party, with 6.4-8% of the Greek vote.
The Jewish community in Greece has already raised some alarm over the developments. Leaders say that the relationship between Israel and Greece could be at stake.
“No doubt we will see a big change in the state of diplomatic relations between Greece and Israel, as well as the situation in Greece,” a Jewish community member stated to Arutz Sheva Sunday on condition of anonymity.
Two members of the Syriza party had been aboard the Mavi Marmara flotilla which attempted to break the “siege on Gaza” in 2010.
Over 5,000 Jews live in Greece, which has experienced a sharp rise in anti-Israel and anti-Semitic attacks on Jewish sites and landmarks. The Larissa cemetery has been vandalized several times over the past two months, and the Israeli Embassy in Athens was shot at in December.
According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), 69% of Greeks believe in anti-Semitic stereotypes – the highest score outside the Middle East and Africa.
