A recent deal, under which Greece purchased from Israel an integrated air defense system worth 3 billion euros, established the “strategic relationship” between the two countries, according to Athens. At the same time, it seeks to maintain good relations with other Middle Eastern countries, according to Agence France-Presse.
The deal, whose negotiations took more than 3 years, was the result of a rapprochement between Greece and Israel that began in 2010 and included the fields of defense, energy, and security.
Greece is one of the first European Union countries to obtain a multi-layered air defense system, designed to protect its territory from drones, warplanes, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles, and it called it the “Achilles Shield.”
During the signing of the agreement in Tel Aviv on September 1, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the deal as “one of the most important arms deals in the country’s history.” He added that it "comes as an extension of our alliance in the Eastern Mediterranean that was concluded 10 years ago with Greece and Cyprus."
For his part, conservative Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stressed that his country is establishing a “strategic relationship with Israel.” He said: “We estimated that the system provided by Israel is the best available, given the resources we have.” He also stressed that “Greece is a bridge between Europe and the Middle East,” recalling his country’s support for Lebanon and sending military equipment to it, in addition to his recent visit to Jordan.
The signing of the deal coincides with escalating tensions between Israel and Turkey, neighboring Greece, with which Athens’ relations are marred by disagreements regarding the demarcation of territorial waters in the Aegean Sea. But George Tzogopoulos, an international relations analyst at the International Center for European Training, saw that the deal “consolidated strategic cooperation between the two countries, but it does not constitute an alliance” against Türkiye.
The arms deal with Israel sparked criticism within Greece. The leader of the socialist PASOK party, Nikos Androlakis, said, “Mr. Netanyahu’s responsibilities, which should have led him to appear before the International Criminal Court, cannot be erased.” Unlike a number of European Union countries, Greece does not recognize the state of Palestine.
A United Nations committee investigating Syria said on Tuesday that it was deeply concerned about Israeli military activities inside Syrian territory, warning that some of these actions, including the detention of civilians, may amount to war crimes. While presenting the developments to the UN Human Rights Council, Commissioner Fionnuala Ni Aollin said that Israeli military operations in southern Syria have become “continuous and increasingly entrenched.”
The Israeli mission in Geneva accused the committee of holding a “session to criticize Israel,” saying that Israel had no ambitions in Syrian territory. She added in a statement: “Israel maintains the existence of a temporary buffer zone equivalent to 0.1 percent of the area of Syria, to protect its citizens from confirmed security threats.”
On Tuesday, the United States expanded the scope of its sanctions on the Iranian aviation sector to include “all remaining Iranian airlines” that were not subject to US measures, in conjunction with targeting 36 entities that the Treasury Department said support the sector and help Tehran transport weapons, personnel, and illicit shipments. The US Treasury Department said that the new measures come as part of increasing economic pressure on Iran.
