Israeli investment fuels tensions in pro-Palestinian Athens neighbourhood
Israeli property investment and the spread of short-term tourist rentals are fuelling tensions in Exarchia, a central Athens neighbourhood known for its left-wing politics and strong solidarity with Palestinians, as residents say rising rents and property speculation are driving local families out.
Tonia Katerini, a 69-year-old architect who has lived in Exarchia since 1986, has spent months mapping foreign property purchases with a group of neighbours using public records.
Their map shows a growing concentration of acquisitions across the neighbourhood.
The group estimates that Israeli investors account for more than half of the area’s newly established company-run hotels and rental properties, according to a report by Al Jazeera.
Their claims have added to tensions in a neighbourhood where Palestinian flags hang from balconies, and pro-Palestinian slogans cover walls.
On Katerini’s street, Israeli investors have bought two buildings, she said, including the flat below her own.
The sound of tourists dragging suitcases along the cobbled streets has become part of daily life.
Nearby, a residential building bears the slogans “Airbnbs leave us homeless” and “Zionists not welcome”.
Such buildings are increasingly recognisable by entry panels displaying numbers instead of residents’ names and keypads that allow short-term guests to collect their keys.
The friction reflects the intersection of two issues for residents: the displacement of local communities by tourist accommodation and opposition to Israel amid the Gaza war and wider conflict involving Palestinians.
Chrysoulla Papageorgiou, a 46-year-old schoolteacher who has lived in Exarchia for 24 years, said the neighbourhood had once been defined by solidarity.
The transformation accelerated after the COVID-19 pandemic, when companies began buying entire buildings rather than renting out individual rooms.
Katerini said Israeli buyers viewed Greece as a safer place to invest than Israel itself and pointed to what she described as the Greek government’s close relationship with Israel. In August, Athens signed a $3.5 billion missile deal with Israel.
Real estate agents say investment in Exarchia is driven primarily by commercial considerations.