Dora Bakoyannis visited Israel and the Palestinian territories from 11-13.11.25, as a Council of Europe envoy, for the preparation of the Middle East Exhibition, where she had meetings with top officials, describing her visit to the Nova Festival venue, on 11.11.2025, as "one of those that were forever etched in her memory."
At the same time, during her journey, she visited the places most affected by the terrorist attacks of October 7, while she monitored the entire humanitarian aid route to the Palestinians in Gaza. Dora Bakoyannis' post on the Greek National News Agency and a relevant video from her visit to the Nova Festival HERE:
"Yesterday was one of those days that is forever etched in memory. I was in the areas of Southern Israel, on the border with Gaza — in the places that were most affected by the terrorist attacks of October 7th.
I visited the venue where the Nova Music Festival was held on that tragic day. Where hundreds of young people who were singing for peace were murdered, tortured and kidnapped by Hamas murderers.
I walked through Kibbutz Nir Oz, the agricultural commune that suffered the worst of that day. I heard the stories of the people who experienced absolute terror, even though they believed more than anyone else in the coexistence of Palestinians and Israelis.
Finally, I saw firsthand the effort being made at the Kerem Shalom crossing to transport humanitarian aid to the Palestinians of Gaza. I had the opportunity to cross the border into the Strip and follow the entire route of the aid."
For the first day of her visit, in West Bank, Dora Bakoyannis She wrote: "The first day of my visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories, as a Council of Europe envoy, for the preparation of the Middle East Report, was dedicated to the West Bank, where I had the pleasure of meeting with the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, Mr. Muhammed Mustafa, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Varsen Aghabekian. The discussion I had with Mr. Obada Shtaya, a representative of the most creative and promising segment of Palestinian civil society, was also of great interest."
On the third day of her visit to Israel, Ms. Bakoyannis had meetings with Israeli politicians. She met with Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, Leader of the Main Opposition Yair Lapid, Minister of Rural Development Avi Dichter, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Boaz Bismuth, as well as the Head of the Israeli Delegation to the Council of Europe Merav Ben Ari. She also met with the Chairman of the Greece-Israel Friendship Group Moshe Turpaz and Druze MP Hamad Amar. As she specifically writes in her post HERE "The most charged moment of the day was my meeting with Eyal Eshed, father of Roni Eshed, who was killed at the Nahal Oz base on October 7, 2023."