From Andreas Papandreou to Kyriakos Mitsotakis: however Greek authorities went from slogans astir a escaped Palestinee earlier contracts with Israel for drones and missiles Spike NLOS.
After the autumn of the junta successful 1974 Greece was engaged restoring ideology and experiencing the trauma of Turkish penetration of Cyprus. The then Prime Minister Konstantinos Karamanlis withdrew the state from NATO’s subject wing successful protest, while Middle Eastern affairs remained connected the periphery.
The situation changed when a socialist came to powerfulness Andreas Papandreou and parties PASOK successful 1981. His leader’s visit Yasser Arafat successful Athens became a symbol of relationship with Palestine – bureau OOP received the status of a diplomatic mission. The West was perplexed, but Greece defiantly followed the “third way”, balancing betwixt Arab world and Europe.
Papandreou defended the Palestinians’ close to statehood, but recognized the beingness of Israel within its pre-1967 borders. His ministers Yiannis Charalambopoulos And Karolos Papoulias they sought to admit PLO fighters not arsenic terrorists, but arsenic “liberation fighters.”
From cooling to rapprochement
In the 1980s, relations with Israel remained tense: Tel Aviv was selling weapons Turkeyand Athens defended the interests of the Orthodox patriarchate successful Jerusalem. Everything changed successful 1990, when Prime Minister Konstantinos Mitsotakis officially recognized the State of Israel, opening a caller leafage of cooperation. But σύντομα there was cooling again: Israel and Türkiye signed a subject agreement, leaving Greece connected the sidelines.
Flotilla and 2010 reversal
The cardinal turning constituent came successful 2010, when Israeli forces attacked Turkish “freedom flotilla” going to Gaza. After that Israel reconsidered relations with Turkey and recovered a caller strategic spouse – Greece. Athens by that clip had a estimation arsenic a mediator and subordinate of the UN Security Council.
In August 2010 Benjamin Netanyahu became the archetypal Israeli premier curate to visit Greece. His negotiations with Giorgos Papandreou marked the opening of a caller alliance: associated exercises, vigor projects and the enactment of an axis Greece–Cyprus–Israel. This is however the state pipeline task came astir EastMed.
From Syriza’s rhetoric to Mitsotakis’ drones
In 2015, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras met with Mahmoud Abbas and publically supported the two-state solution, but really strengthened ties with Israel. Energy and defence person go a priority. After 2020, against the backdrop of aggression ErdoganGreece bets connected Israeli technology: drones Heronanti-drone systems Drone Domerockets Spike NLOS.
Premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis entered into agreements connected cybersecurity and associated aviator training. Israel has go the supplier of cardinal systems to support the Aegean Sea.
After October 7: humanism without naivety
Attack Hamas onslaught connected Israel successful October 2023 shocked Greek society, but the government’s presumption remained clear: humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians – yes, condemnation of terror – of course. Athens sent nutrient supplies to Gaza, but remained successful the western camp.
Today, Greece is not a romanticist mediator, but a pragmatic state of Israel, strengthening the defence shield of the Eastern Mediterranean. History has travel afloat circle, but successful the caller world the aged illusions nary longer exist.
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