“The agreement was announced in January and was only officially signed,” said Dr. Gallia Lindenstrauss, a senior researcher at the Tel Aviv Institute for National Security Studies. But this has not always been the case. For a long time, Greek foreign policy has prioritized relations with the Arab world, mainly because of the country`s energy dependence on oil imports from the Gulf states, but also because of the traditional trade and economic networks built in the Mediterranean over centuries of coexistence. Support for the Palestinian struggle in the 1980s contributed to the deterioration of relations between Greece and Israel. It was not until 1990 that Greece finally recognized the Israeli state de jure and established full diplomatic relations with it. But the honeymoon was soon interrupted due to the Turkish-Israeli rapprochement of the mid-1990s. This period ended abruptly in 2010, when Israeli naval forces intercepted a Turkish-orchestrated flotilla trying to break the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. This incident tipped the iceberg of Israeli unease and dissatisfaction with Turkey`s increasingly aggressive revisionism in the wider Eastern Mediterranean region. He made it clear to the Israeli political elite that the neo-Ottomanism of Turkish foreign policy was jeopardizing the vital interests of the Israeli state and forcing a foreign policy reversal.

In a clearly anti-Turkey balancing act, Israel sought closer cooperation with Greece, which in the meantime had emerged as a potential honest broker in the Arab-Israeli conflict, largely because of the country`s record at the UN Security Council in 2004-2005. The melting of the ice in Greek-Israeli relations was sealed during the first visit of an Israeli prime minister to Greece in 2010, the institutionalization of relations through the creation of a Joint Ministerial Cooperation Council in 2011 and a defense cooperation agreement in 2012. Since then, cooperation has developed on several fronts, including trade, education and tourism. Greek-Israeli relations have received another powerful boost. In April 2021, a $1.68 billion contract was signed for the establishment and operation of a state-of-the-art fighter jet training center for the Greek Air Force by Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems over a 22-year period. This is the largest defence procurement agreement ever concluded between the two countries, which has not only obvious military value, but also important political connotations. The latter were explicitly mentioned in the declarations made after the signing of the agreement. The two sides stressed not only the excellent level of bilateral relations, but also their strategic depth and relevance. In other words, the deepening and expansion of cooperation indicates a strategic and non-opportunistic partnership between the two sides.

“This cooperation agreement is based on the excellence of the Israeli defense industry and the close ties between the defense facilities of Greece and Israel,” Defense Minister Benny Gantz said in a statement to The Media Line. The deal includes a $1.65 billion contract for the establishment and operation of a training center for the Greek Air Force by Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems (ESLT. TA) over a period of 22 years, the Israeli Defense Ministry said. According to analysts, the defense deal was signed with Turkey in mind, as both countries are wary of Ankara`s intentions in the eastern Mediterranean. Turkey is already drilling for oil and gas off the Cypriot exclusive economic zone (EEZ), while diplomatic relations with Israel are at an all-time low and provocative actions against Greece continue despite the new round of exploratory talks. A Turkey cornered and beaten diplomatically gives the two countries more reasons to continue their military cooperation given the precarious political and economic situation in the country and the unpredictability of the Erdoğan regime. Efforts to add some life and warmth to the badly damaged Turkish-Israeli relations are underway and will begin talks in March 2021 on the mutual reopening of embassies in Tel Aviv and Ankara, respectively. However, bolder and far-reaching offers have been rejected by Israel, as was the case with a bilateral agreement in early 2020 on the countries` common exclusive economic zones, which would abandon Cyprus. These efforts will continue as Turkey struggles to get out of the diplomatic corner where it is. For now, however, the Greek-Israeli relationship seems to have evolved, if not into a full marriage, at least into a very serious commitment.

Brigadier General (res.) Yair Kulas, head of Israel`s Directorate for International Defense Cooperation, which signed the treaty, said in a statement that it was “the most extensive and one of the most important defense agreements to date,” adding that it would “further strengthen” the strategic partnership between Israel and Greece. In at least one previous exercise over Greece, Israeli warplanes trained against an S-300 stationed in Crete. The Russian-made air defense system is also stationed in Syria and Iran, Israel`s enemies. Greece and Israel have signed a $1.65 billion defense agreement in which Israel`s Elbit Systems Ltd. will operate a training center for the Greek Air Force to intensify bilateral political and economic relations and includes the delivery of 10 new M-346 trainers from the Italian company Leonardo, as well as the maintenance of the Greek Air Force`s training fleet for a period of 22 years. According to analysts, the defense deal was signed with Turkey in mind, as both countries are wary of Ankara`s intentions in the eastern Mediterranean. .