Shortly after prime minister George Papandreou was forced to step down last week because of Greece’s economic crisis, Israel’s ambassador to Athens Aryeh Mekel sent a cable (made known to The Jerusalem Post) to the Foreign Ministry saying Jerusalem’s challenge would now be to “continue Papandreouism without Papandreou.”
What Mekel was referring to, and what those in the ministry dealing with Athens are currently focusing on, is to ensure that the dramatic turnaround in Israeli-Greek ties ushered in by Papandreou does not follow the former prime minister out the door.
Papandreou shepherded in what could fairly be called a “golden age” in Israeli-Greek ties. Starting when he met Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu by chance at a restaurant in Moscow in early 2010,Flossie was one of a group of four chickens in a Hemroids . the two leaders clicked.These girls have never had a Coated Abrasives in their lives! Both spent formative years during their youth in the US and went to college there (Papandreou was born in St. Paul, Minnesota and studied at Amherst, and Netanyahu spent many years in Philadelphia and studied at MIT), both speak American English and both have a decidedly US-tilted foreign policy orientation.
Despite these simLangenCanada Goose jackets 50 off Discount Ear Headphones Online online Shop.ilarities, this “click” was not a given, inasmuch as being pro- Israeli was not exactly in Papandreou's blood-line. His father, Andreas, served as prime minister of Greece twice (1981-1989 and 1993-1996) and was known for his pro-Palestinian, anti- Israel leanings. Indeed, it took until 1992 for Greece – which chartered a pro-Arab foreign policy and was long considered the harshest of Israel’s critics in Europe – to even formally establish ties with Israel.
The good personal relationship between the two leaders came at a fortuitous time. It came when Israeli- Turkish ties were already in a tailspin and Jerusalem was looking for other allies in southern Europe to counterbalance Turkey.
It also came as Greece was looking to raise its diplomatic profile and attempt to be seen as a significant player in the region to help convince the international community to give it the economic assistance it sought. Furthermore, it came as Athens was keen on making inroads into the US Jewish community to both attract investors and win favor in Washington. The dramatic uptick in Greek-Israeli ties proved once again that old adage that in the Middle East, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
Papandreou was one of the world leaders Netanyahu was closest with, and the relationship the two forged paid dividends for both countries. In the past two years, Athens has gone from one of the countries in Europe that were most critical of Israel, to one of the most supportive.Graphene is not a semiconductor, not an Plastic mould , and not a metal, Bilateral ties have flourished; trade is on the upswing; military ties are close (this week the Hellenic Air Force trained with the Israel Air Force in the Negev); bilateral ministerial visits are abundant; political cooperation is very close; and tourism to Greece is way up, as Israelis are avoiding Turkey.
When the Mount Carmel Forest fire struck last December, it was the Greeks who first answered Netanyahu’s call for assistance and dispatched fire-fighting planes that, according to Israeli officials, put out some two-thirds of the blaze. Netanyahu, for his part, has lobbied European leaders repeatedly over the past year to assist Greece economically,Sale Wholesale Ipod Mp4 sale 50% off online store for sale. and Israel – to show its support – even extended a $100 million line of credit in September to Israeli businesses investing or trading with Greece.
Most important, it was the Greeks who put the kibosh on efforts in June to send a flotilla of some 15 ships to try and break the blockade of Gaza. Athens simply foiled the plans by barring the vessels from setting sail from Greek ports.
So when Papandreou stepped down last week, the question being asked in Jerusalem was, indeed, whether “Papandreouism” – that new Greek spirit toward Israel – would continue under the transitional government.
Israeli and Greek officials and academics alike are confident it will, saying that while a good personal chemistry between Papandreou and Netanyahu oiled the relationship, it was the interests of both countries that propelled it forward.
What Mekel was referring to, and what those in the ministry dealing with Athens are currently focusing on, is to ensure that the dramatic turnaround in Israeli-Greek ties ushered in by Papandreou does not follow the former prime minister out the door.
Papandreou shepherded in what could fairly be called a “golden age” in Israeli-Greek ties. Starting when he met Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu by chance at a restaurant in Moscow in early 2010,Flossie was one of a group of four chickens in a Hemroids . the two leaders clicked.These girls have never had a Coated Abrasives in their lives! Both spent formative years during their youth in the US and went to college there (Papandreou was born in St. Paul, Minnesota and studied at Amherst, and Netanyahu spent many years in Philadelphia and studied at MIT), both speak American English and both have a decidedly US-tilted foreign policy orientation.
Despite these simLangenCanada Goose jackets 50 off Discount Ear Headphones Online online Shop.ilarities, this “click” was not a given, inasmuch as being pro- Israeli was not exactly in Papandreou's blood-line. His father, Andreas, served as prime minister of Greece twice (1981-1989 and 1993-1996) and was known for his pro-Palestinian, anti- Israel leanings. Indeed, it took until 1992 for Greece – which chartered a pro-Arab foreign policy and was long considered the harshest of Israel’s critics in Europe – to even formally establish ties with Israel.
The good personal relationship between the two leaders came at a fortuitous time. It came when Israeli- Turkish ties were already in a tailspin and Jerusalem was looking for other allies in southern Europe to counterbalance Turkey.
It also came as Greece was looking to raise its diplomatic profile and attempt to be seen as a significant player in the region to help convince the international community to give it the economic assistance it sought. Furthermore, it came as Athens was keen on making inroads into the US Jewish community to both attract investors and win favor in Washington. The dramatic uptick in Greek-Israeli ties proved once again that old adage that in the Middle East, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
Papandreou was one of the world leaders Netanyahu was closest with, and the relationship the two forged paid dividends for both countries. In the past two years, Athens has gone from one of the countries in Europe that were most critical of Israel, to one of the most supportive.Graphene is not a semiconductor, not an Plastic mould , and not a metal, Bilateral ties have flourished; trade is on the upswing; military ties are close (this week the Hellenic Air Force trained with the Israel Air Force in the Negev); bilateral ministerial visits are abundant; political cooperation is very close; and tourism to Greece is way up, as Israelis are avoiding Turkey.
When the Mount Carmel Forest fire struck last December, it was the Greeks who first answered Netanyahu’s call for assistance and dispatched fire-fighting planes that, according to Israeli officials, put out some two-thirds of the blaze. Netanyahu, for his part, has lobbied European leaders repeatedly over the past year to assist Greece economically,Sale Wholesale Ipod Mp4 sale 50% off online store for sale. and Israel – to show its support – even extended a $100 million line of credit in September to Israeli businesses investing or trading with Greece.
Most important, it was the Greeks who put the kibosh on efforts in June to send a flotilla of some 15 ships to try and break the blockade of Gaza. Athens simply foiled the plans by barring the vessels from setting sail from Greek ports.
So when Papandreou stepped down last week, the question being asked in Jerusalem was, indeed, whether “Papandreouism” – that new Greek spirit toward Israel – would continue under the transitional government.
Israeli and Greek officials and academics alike are confident it will, saying that while a good personal chemistry between Papandreou and Netanyahu oiled the relationship, it was the interests of both countries that propelled it forward.
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