Mohammad Shtayyeh
Mohammad ShtayyehReuters

The Palestinian Authority (PA) on Thursday urged Greece to take a position against Israel’s plan to apply sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, the Xinhua news agency reports.

PA cabinet leader Mohammed Shtayyeh phoned Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, urging him not to undermine international law and the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people, according to the report.

The phone conversation came a day after an official visit by Mitsotakis to Israel, where he met with President Reuven Rivlin as well as with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

"The relations and common interests between Greece and Israel should not be at the expense of the Greek people and government's faith in international law and the right of peoples to self-determination," Shtayyeh told Mitsotakis in the phone conversation, according to a statement by his office.

"Greece must speak loudly against the Israeli annexation plans," added Shtayyeh, urging his counterpart to recognize “Palestine” as a state.

The PA is outraged over the coalition agreement between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz, which stipulates that the government can apply sovereignty over Judea and Samaria this coming July.

As part of the PA’s plans to thwart the Israeli move, Shtayyeh recently called on countries in the European Union to recognize a Palestinian state.

While several European countries have recognized “Palestine” in recent years, those moves were symbolic ones that have little, if any, actual diplomatic effect.