Foreign policy for sale: Greece’s dangerous alliance with Israel
By Ramzy Baroud | MEMO | February 6, 2018
For a brief historical moment, Alexis Tsipras and his political party, Syriza, ignited hope that Greece could resurrect a long-dormant Leftist tide in Europe.
A new Greece was being born out of the pangs of pain of economic austerity, imposed by the European Union and its overpowering economic institutions – a troika so ruthless, it cared little while the Greek economy collapsed and millions of people experienced the bitterness of poverty, unemployment and despair.
The Coalition of the Radical Left (Syriza) came to power in January 2015 as a direct outcome of popular discontent with the EU. It was a time where ordinary people took a stance to fend for whatever semblance of sovereignty that was not wrestled away from them by politicians, bankers and powerful bureaucratic institutions.
The result, however, was quite disappointing. Tsipras, now a Prime Minister, transformed his political discourse, and gradually adopted one that that is more consistent with the very neoliberal policies that pushed his country to its knees in the first place.
Syriza sold out, not only politically and ideologically, but in an actual physical sense as well.
In exchange for bailout loans that Greece received from European banks within the period 2010 to 2015 (estimated at $262 billion), the country is being dismembered. Greece’s regional airports are now operated by German companies and the country’s main telecommunication firm has been privatized, with sizable shares of it owned by Deutsche Telekom.
“The only thing missing outside the office of Greece’s privatization agency is a sign that reads: ‘A Nation for Sale’,” wrote Greek political economist, C. J. Polychroniou.
Unsurprisingly, economic subservience is often a prelude to political bondage as well. Not only did Syriza betray the aspirations of the Greek people who voted against austerity and bailouts, it also betrayed the country’s long legacy of maintaining amicable relationships with its neighbours.
Since his arrival at the helm of Greek politics, Tsipras has moved his country further into the Israeli camp, forging unwise regional alliances aimed at exploiting new gas finds in the Mediterranean and participating in multiple Israeli-led military drills.
While Israel sees an opportunity to advance its political agenda in Greece’s economic woes, the Greek government is playing along without fully assessing the possible repercussions of engaging with a country that is regionally viewed as a pariah, while internationally becoming condemned for its military occupation and terrible human rights record.
Israel moved to pull Athens into its own camp in 2010, shortly after the Turkish-Israeli spat over the ‘Mavi Marmara’ attack ensued. Israeli commandos attacked the Turkish Gaza-bound boat, killing nine Turkish nationals and injuring many more.
Although Turkey and Israel have, since then, reached a diplomatic understanding, Tel Aviv has moved forward to create alternative allies among Balkan countries, exploiting historical conflicts between some of these countries and Turkey.
Bilateral agreements were signed, high diplomatic visits exchanged and military exercises conducted in the name of deterring ‘international Jihad’ and fighting terrorism.
Greece and Cyprus received greater Israeli attention since they, on the one hand, were seen as political counterweight to Turkey and, on the other, because of the great economic potential that they offered.
Just one month after the ‘Mavi Marmara’ attack, the then Greek Prime Minister, George Papandrous, visited Israel, followed by an official visit by Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to Greece – the first of its kind. That was the start of a love-affair that is growing deeper.
The main motivation behind the closeness in relations is the Leviathan and Tamar gas fields, located in the territorial waters of several countries, including Lebanon. If Israel continues with its plans to extract gas from an energy source located off the coast of Lebanon, it will increase the chances of yet another regional war.
When Tsipras came to power on the shoulders of a populous political movement, Palestinians too hoped that he would be different.
It was not exactly wishful thinking, either. Syriza was openly critical of Israel and had “vowed to cut military ties with Israel upon coming to office,” wrote Patrick Strickland, reporting from Athens. Instead the “ties have, nonetheless, been deepened.”
Indeed, soon after taking power, the ‘radical left’-led Greek government signed a major military agreement with Israel, the ‘status of forces’ accord, followed by yet more military exercises.
All of this was reinforced by a propaganda campaign in Israel hailing the new alliance, coupled with a changing narrative in Greek media regarding Israel and Palestine.
One George N. Tzogopoulos has been particularity buoyant about the Israel-Greek friendship. Writing a series of articles in various media, including the rightwing Israeli newspaper, the Jerusalem Post, Tzogopoulos suggests that, unlike the older generation of Greeks who have sided with Palestinians in the past, the young generation is likely to be pro-Israel.
“This process (of converting Greeks to loving Israel) will take time, of course, because it is principally related to school education,” he wrote in Algemeiner. “But the change in coverage of Israel by Greek journalists is a good omen.”
That ‘change of coverage’ was also notable in the recent official visit by Israeli President, Reuven Rivlin, and his meeting with Tsipras and other Greek officials.
In the meetings, Rivlin complained of Palestinian obstinacy and refusal to return to the ‘peace process’, thus causing a ‘serious crisis.’
The ‘radical left’ leader said little to challenge Rivlin’s falsehoods.
Greece was not always this way, of course. Who could forget Andreas Papandreou, the late Greek leader who gave the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) diplomatic status in 1981, and stood by Palestinians despite American and Israeli threats?
It is that generation that Tzogopoulos and his likes would like to be gone forever, and replaced by morally-flexible leaders like Tsipras.
However, signing off to join an Israel-led economic and military alliance in an area replete with conflict, is a terribly irresponsible move, even for politically inexperienced and opportunistic politicians.
For Greece to be the “strong arm of imperialism in the region” – as described by the leader of the Socialist Workers Revolutionary Party in Greece – is “completely stupid” as it will, in the long run, bring “catastrophic results for (the) Greek people.”
But Tsipras seems incapable of looking that far ahead.
Read also:
Greece to join air force drills with Egypt, Israel
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February 6, 2018 - Posted by aletho | Corruption, Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Timeless or most popular | Alexis Tsipras, Greece, Israel, SYRIZA, United States, Zionism
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The people of Greece know they have been betrayed and they know who is behind it. Although there is no mention of it in this article, the troika is an operation of those “who may not be named or criticized”, and the Greeks know this too. Greek fishermen who have hauled in bodies of infants and children in their nets (refugees from the Yinon Plan) know that the missing eyes and organs went to the Israeli run organ trafficking operation.
Even under 400 years of Turkish oppression, the Greeks maintained their Christianity 100%, as they have since Paul was preaching there–until now. Now, the church is once against oppressed in a more insidious manner and ancient values turned upside down by the usual Satanists, who are closing churches, teaching perversion in schools and even advancing the LGBTxyz*&^ agenda. When Abe Foxman was head of the ADL he made a trip to Greece and met with church officials insisting that they get rid of the “anti-Semitic” Gospel of John and the writings of church fathers such as St. John Chrysostom, St. Basil the Great etc. He was not successful of course, but when Tsipras was sworn in, it was the first time in modern Greek history that a hierarch was not present to read prayers and bless the new govt.
The immense charity of the Greek people toward the refugees has precipitated mass conversions and even Muslims have built shrines to the mother of God in gratitude. The govt, on the other hand has persecuted those who have given aid and locks the refugees in concentration camps, with NGOs stealing all the donations while people freeze and starve.You will never get the real story unless you have been there as those who control the media are in the same cult.
The Greeks were warned about all of these things by many saints both early and contemporary.
In fact, when the new EU ID cards came out with 666 embedded in the bar code many refused to accept these cards and changes were made.
The EU wants to turn the Holy Mountain, Mt. Athos, which is an independent republic in to a sort Disney land allowing women and children to trample the monasteries and loot whatever was not taken during the fourth crusade. Even Hitler didn’t do that. they have already confiscated church land, as they have done in Palestine where Palestinian Christians had been living for two thousand years.
Evangelical Protestants who worship the stolen land called “Israel” rather than worshiping Christ (or believing anything He said -such as in John 8:44), have zero knowledge of any of this as they send missionaries to Palestine, Greece, and even Russia to convert people who were Christian and had great civilizations thousands of years before any one of their 2,500+ phony “denominations” existed.
Ask yourself why the great Byzantine civilization is unknown in the West. Find out what the Justinian code is, if you can, now that it has largely been expunged from the internet as if offers the only solution to these present day problems, not any political party or left right Hegelian dialectic.
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