to describe this visit to Israel by the Greek Defence Minister and what is
clearly an attack on the US-Iranian Accord.
Kammenos is the leader of the Independent Greeks ANEL party in coalition
with Syriza, but he couldn’t have signed an agreement with Israel without the
agreement of Tsipras.
has been accused of anti-Semitism [see Ha’aretz article below] for saying that Greek Jews pay less tax than
their non-Jewish counterparts.
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| Israeli navy missile ship |
Bedfellows? Israel, Greece sign status of forces agreement
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| Israel and Greece signed a status of forces accord in Tel Aviv on Sunday that offers legal defense to both militaries while training in the other’s country |
Israeli counterpart Moshe Ya’alon at the Defense Ministry, where the accord was
signed. Israel has only ever signed a similar accord with the US.
continued bilateral defense ties, and the latest regional situation.
difficult period for Greece. This underlines the importance of relations
between the countries,” Ya’alon said. “We wish the Greek people and Greece
itself success in its effort to overcome the economic challenge. We pray for
that since we believe Greece is a very important country, with a history and a
contribution to the history of humanity.”
and Greek military within Greece, adding that both countries have shared
interests, and both are dealing with the impact of the agreement between world
powers and Iran over its nuclear program.
to regional insecurity through its support to terrorist elements in the Middle
East, particularly Shi’ite terrorism, though not only Shi’ite. And of course,
the Iranian ambition for regional hegemony leads the regime in Tehran to
undermine the stability of [other] regimes, which creates a challenge for all
of us,” Ya’alon said.
is influencing the security situation in Europe as well. Terrorism is terrorism
is terrorism. Today it is directed against someone else, and tomorrow it
reaches you,” he added.
people in Israel,” adding that military bilateral relations are good, and that
both countries will continue to build on them through joint training. Terror –
ism and jihad, he added, are not just in the Middle East, but are also present
in the Balkans and Europe.
“If one Iranian missile makes its way to the Mediterranean, this could be the
end of states in this region,” the Greek defense minister said.
Politician who said Jews don’t pay tax appointed as Greece’s defense chief
As defense minister, Panos Kammenos will oversee the military ties with
Israel that have become much closer in recent years.
JTA | Jan. 29, 2015
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| New Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos signs a protocol after a swearing in ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Athens, Jan. 27, 2015. Photo by AP |
said Jews don’t pay taxes, was appointed the defense minister of Greece.
Kammenos, who heads the ultranationalist
Independent Greeks, was appointed to the post in the new government on Tuesday
after joining the coalition of the newly elected far-left Syriza party, which
won handily in Sunday’s national elections.
While the parties are far apart on most
issues, they are united by a common rejection of the harsh terms imposed on
Greece in the financial bailout.
Kammenos drew condemnation from Greece’s
Jewish community in December after he said on television that Greek Jews don’t
pay taxes — a remark denied publicly by a government official, who called it
“conspiracy theories, lies and slander” that had become a part of “the dark
side of the Internet.”
As defense minister, Kammenos will oversee
the military ties with Israel that have become much closer in recent years.
Even considering the taxes statement, he is still likely to be more pro-Israel
than the Syriza lawmakers, who have taken part in protests against Israel, with
some even participating in the flotillas to Gaza.
Conspiracy theories are rife in Kammenos’
ultranationalist party, which frequently blames outsiders for the economic woes
befalling Greece.
A
recent Anti-Defamation League poll found that anti-Semitic stereotypes are
widespread iin Greece and that the country had the highest percentage of anti-Semitic views in Europe.
