(Ha'aretz) Amos Harel - There are growing signs of a new regional alliance for Israel with Greece, Cyprus, and to some extent Egypt. Officials in the Greek Defense Ministry say they have asked Israel to help them set up an effective air intelligence system. Greece needs such prowess due to the increasing risks posed by radical Islamist groups in Europe. Greece supported the Palestinian struggle for decades, but when the economic crisis hit, the Arabs didn't go out of their way to help. Greece is hoping for stronger military ties, intelligence assistance and economic opportunities, partly based on Israel's natural-gas discoveries in the eastern Mediterranean. Nikos Xydakis, Greece's alternate minister for European affairs and a member of the ruling leftist Syriza party, says both countries are in the middle of a region in anarchy and thus need each other.
2016-05-27 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive