Greece and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict: A discursive constructivist perspective

This paper applies a discursive constructivist framework in the analysis of Greece's foreign policy towards the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It will be shown that this policy has been shaped by four discourses: a historical discourse, which emphasizes Greece's special linkage with the region; a geopolitical discourse, which associates Greece's foreign policy with questions about its broader international orientation; a security discourse, which constructs the Middle East as another field where the antagonistic Greek-Turkish relationship evolves; and a discourse on justice, which highlights the ethical dimension of the conflict. The interaction between these four discourses has traditionally led to a pro-Palestinian inclination, which is still evident, despite the attempts of Greek governments to pursue a more equidistant approach.