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Bekijk Volledige Versie : Warme vriendschap Israël & Griekenland en de Gaza Vloot



TonH
11-07-11, 09:42
Israel-Greece Ties Keeps Flotilla Anchored
By Calev Ben-David and Paul Tugwell - Jul 10, 2011

Greece’s move to prevent a flotilla from departing its ports and challenging Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip highlights the deepening ties between the once antagonistic countries.

After a previous attempt ended in violence last year, pro- Palestinian activists planned a second, bigger convoy this month to undermine the blockade of Hamas-ruled Gaza by delivering aid without permission. The effort fizzled as Greece stopped seven ships from sailing, saying they lack proper safety equipment.

Greece only established full diplomatic relations with Israel in 1990, one of the last European states to do so. Its strengthening rapport with Israel, spurred in recent years by the Jewish state’s worsening relationship with Turkey, has led to increased military cooperation and the prospect of greater economic integration, including natural gas sales.

“The relationship with Israel is multidimensional; it’s economics, tourism, military exercises, and part of the equation is natural gas,” said Aristotle Tziampiris, associate professor of international relations at Greece’s University of Piraeus. “It was the deterioration of the relationship between Turkey and Israel that provided an opening.”

The impediments thrown up by Greece may have averted a repeat of last year’s confrontation at sea, when Israeli naval commandos dropped from helicopters onto the deck of one ship in a six-vessel convoy. Israel says people on board shot first and attacked with iron bars, an allegation the passengers denied. Nine Turks were killed.

Greece instead offered to send the aid “through existing channels, as requested by the UN Secretary General,” according to a July 3 statement from the Foreign Ministry.

Foe to Friend

Israel says it won’t allow the vessels to reach Gaza, citing concerns over arms smuggling. The activists say the blockade is illegal and causes hardship for Gaza’s population.

Ties between Greek and Israel have been slow to develop. The relationship was especially acrimonious during the 1980s, when then-prime minister Andreas Papandreou was a strong supporter of the Palestinian Liberation Organization and a vocal critic of Israeli policies.

His son George Papandreou, the current Greek prime minister, has taken a different approach. In July 2010 he became the first Greek premier to visit Jerusalem in decades. The next month he hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on an unprecedented visit to Athens.

Netanyahu, 61, singled out “my friend” Papandreou, 59, in a July 1 speech praising U.S. and European leaders for opposing the flotilla.

Leviathan Field

The biggest potential for economic cooperation lies with Israel’s natural gas discoveries, especially the Leviathan field that lies close to Cyprus and holds an estimated 16 trillion cubic feet. Israel and Greece have discussed exporting the gas either through an undersea pipeline to the Greek mainland or via a liquefied natural gas conversion plant to be built in Cyprus.

“Greece could very much become a hub for Israeli gas exports from the Leviathan field to Europe at a time when Europe is seeking to diversify away from its reliance on Russian gas,” said John Sitilides, chairman of the board of advisers for the Southeast Europe Project of the Woodrow Wilson Center, a Washington-based research institute. “This is a relationship that makes sense.”

Important for both countries are the reciprocal military advantages the Israel-Greece relationship provides, says Alon Liel, former director-general of the Israeli Foreign Ministry. He cited as one such benefit media reports of Israeli willingness to accept deferred payments for weapons from its government-controlled arms industry to Greece.

Military Drills

Greece in turn is providing Israel with airspace, land and sea territory to conduct large-scale military exercises, replacing what had formerly been Turkey’s role. Greece and Israel have conducted at least two joint military exercises in the past year, including a just-concluded two-week aerial drill.

Israeli officials also see an opportunity to increase trade. Shipments between the countries were 289.85€ million last year. Trade so far 125.75€this year was mil107.85€lion, up from million in the January-May of 2010, according to the Israeli statistics bureau.

“There is the potential to increase trade, certainly from the Israeli side, in water technology, alternative energy, health care and homeland security,’ said Dan Catarivas, director of the international department of the Israel Manufacturers Association, which on July 12 is hosting Greek President Karolos Papoulias at a trade promotion event in Tel Aviv.

Turkey Ties Totter

Among the Israeli companies doing business in Greece are Teva Pharmaceuticals Inc., the world’s largest generic drugs company, and agrochemicals maker Makhteshim-Agan Industries Ltd. (MAIN)

One of the beneficiaries of Israeli business may be the Greek tourism industry, with the country increasingly popular as the preferred Aegean resort in place of Turkey. The number of Israeli tourists in Greece increased 139 percent in 2010 to 197,159, according to the Hellenic Statistical Authority.

As ties with Greece strengthen, some of Israel’s links to Turkey are fraying. In the first five months of this year, the number of Israelis traveling to Turkey fell 60 percent, Hurriyet said last month.

Israeli and Turkish officials will meet later this month to continue discussions on the Mavi Marmara incident and how to repair the relationship between the countries, an Israeli government official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to comment on-record.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his parliament on July 8 he insists Israel formally apologize for the incident and pay compensation to the victims’ families if it wants to renormalize the relationship. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman told Army Radio on July 10 that Erdogan’s statement shows he is “not serious” about renewing ties.

To contact the reporter on this story: Calev Ben-David in Jerusalem at [email protected]; Paul Tugwell in Athens [email protected]

Israel-Greece Ties Keeps Flotilla Anchored - Bloomberg (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2011-07-10/deepening-israel-greece-ties-keeps-gaza-bound-flotilla-anchored.html)

TonH
11-07-11, 09:46
Israeli defense industries in talks with Greek army
By YAAKOV KATZ
12/12/2010 03:51

Multi-million deal in the works to sell weapons system for Hellenic Air Force’s F-16 fleet.

In an effort to improve ties with Greece and create new military partnerships in the Mediterranean, Israeli defense industries are in talks with the Hellenic Armed Forces over a possible multi-million dollar sale of advanced weapons systems.

A senior Israeli defense delegation consisting of officials from the Defense Ministry and local industries recently traveled to Greece to discuss the deal, which could include weapons systems for the Hellenic Air Force’s fleet of F-16 fighter jets.

RELATED:
IAF completes joint exercise with Italian Air Force
Israel, Italy conduct joint air force exercise in Sardinia

Officials said that the deal has been in the works for several months, ever since Binyamin Netanyahu made Israeli history and became the first prime minister to visit Greece in August.

One of the obstacles in the way of the deal is Greece’s poor economy, but officials said they were seeking creative ways for Greece to pay for the systems and enable the deal to materialize.

Israeli-Greek ties have been on the ascent since May’s navy raid on a Turkish flotilla trying to break the Israeli-imposed sea blockade on the Gaza Strip. In response to the raid, which ended with nine dead Turkish nationals, Turkey cut off all military and political ties with Israel.

Locked out of Turkey, the Israel Air Force found a new partner in Greece. Over the past year, it has held four exercises in Greece, most recently in October and November; these last ones included the deployment of squadrons of fighter jets and attack helicopters.

Officials said that Israel would continue to cooperate with Greece and was also likely to hold maneuvers in Bulgaria in the beginning of 2011.

Last week, the IAF held joint maneuvers with the Italian Air Force in the Negev, just two weeks after completing a round of joint drills in Sardinia. The maneuvers were held out of the Uvda Air Force Base in the South and included IAF F-16s and Italian Tornados.

The IAF’s “Flying Dragon” Squadron, which impersonates enemy forces, flew against the Italians.

Israeli defense industries in talks with Greek... JPost - Defense (http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=199013)




En vorige week plaatste Griekenland een order voor 9 miljoen euro aan nieuwe CS-traangasgranaten. Die waren namelijk een beetje op na het afschieten van bijna 2500(!) van die dingen op het Syntagma plein voor het parlement in Athene, twee weken geleden.
Het maakt een en ander wat duidelijker.

Joesoef
11-07-11, 09:49
Vriendschap is dus te koop.

TonH
11-07-11, 11:09
Vriendschap is dus te koop.

Al sinds de tijd van Gilgamesh.

Joesoef
11-07-11, 11:14
Al sinds de tijd van Gilgamesh.


Wel slim van Israel, zeven vliegen in een klap.

TonH
11-07-11, 13:12
Wel slim van Israel, zeven vliegen in een klap.

Zeven?

Joesoef
11-07-11, 13:43
Zeven?

Lexicon (http://www.verhalenbank.nl/extra.php?info=lexicon&idnummer=CJ022101&volksverhaal_type=AT%201640&atu_type=)

TonH
11-07-11, 20:51
Lexicon (http://www.verhalenbank.nl/extra.php?info=lexicon&idnummer=CJ022101&volksverhaal_type=AT%201640&atu_type=)

Dank, kende ik niet. Dacht even dat je 12 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heracles) bedoelde

Kortman
11-07-11, 22:07
Israeli defense industries in talks with Greek army
By YAAKOV KATZ
12/12/2010 03:51

Multi-million deal in the works to sell weapons system for Hellenic Air Force’s F-16 fleet.

In an effort to improve ties with Greece and create new military partnerships in the Mediterranean, Israeli defense industries are in talks with the Hellenic Armed Forces over a possible multi-million dollar sale of advanced weapons systems.

A senior Israeli defense delegation consisting of officials from the Defense Ministry and local industries recently traveled to Greece to discuss the deal, which could include weapons systems for the Hellenic Air Force’s fleet of F-16 fighter jets.

RELATED:
IAF completes joint exercise with Italian Air Force
Israel, Italy conduct joint air force exercise in Sardinia

Officials said that the deal has been in the works for several months, ever since Binyamin Netanyahu made Israeli history and became the first prime minister to visit Greece in August.

One of the obstacles in the way of the deal is Greece’s poor economy, but officials said they were seeking creative ways for Greece to pay for the systems and enable the deal to materialize.

Israeli-Greek ties have been on the ascent since May’s navy raid on a Turkish flotilla trying to break the Israeli-imposed sea blockade on the Gaza Strip. In response to the raid, which ended with nine dead Turkish nationals, Turkey cut off all military and political ties with Israel.

Locked out of Turkey, the Israel Air Force found a new partner in Greece. Over the past year, it has held four exercises in Greece, most recently in October and November; these last ones included the deployment of squadrons of fighter jets and attack helicopters.

Officials said that Israel would continue to cooperate with Greece and was also likely to hold maneuvers in Bulgaria in the beginning of 2011.

Last week, the IAF held joint maneuvers with the Italian Air Force in the Negev, just two weeks after completing a round of joint drills in Sardinia. The maneuvers were held out of the Uvda Air Force Base in the South and included IAF F-16s and Italian Tornados.

The IAF’s “Flying Dragon” Squadron, which impersonates enemy forces, flew against the Italians.

Israeli defense industries in talks with Greek... JPost - Defense (http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=199013)




En vorige week plaatste Griekenland een order voor 9 miljoen euro aan nieuwe CS-traangasgranaten. Die waren namelijk een beetje op na het afschieten van bijna 2500(!) van die dingen op het Syntagma plein voor het parlement in Athene, twee weken geleden.
Het maakt een en ander wat duidelijker.

Dus als ik het goed begrijp gaat onze NEDERLANDSE bijdrage aan Griekenland o.a op aan traangas granaten ?
:wat?!: om te gillen.

TonH
12-07-11, 23:58
Dus als ik het goed begrijp gaat onze NEDERLANDSE bijdrage aan Griekenland o.a op aan traangas granaten ?
:wat?!: om te gillen.

Nee, het is geen bijdrage, maar een lening tegen bijna 6 procent rente. En wees gerust dit gaat maar om 9 miljoen. En daar koop je nog niet de helft van die gouden wc-brillen van het UWV voor.