Greece’s recent purchase of a major air defense system from Israel has highlighted the two countries’ deepening cooperation, even as Athens seeks to preserve its traditionally good relations with other Middle Eastern countries.

The €3 billion ($3.5 billion) contract for the system, known as Achilles Shield, was negotiated over more than three years and reflects a rapprochement between Greece and Israel that began in 2010 in the areas of defense, energy and security.

The multilayered defense system is designed to protect against drones, aircraft and cruise and ballistic missiles.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the agreement as “one of the most important in the country’s history” after the deal was signed in Tel Aviv on August 31.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said earlier this month that the system was “the best available, given the resources at our disposal” and hailed Greece’s “strategic relationship with Israel.”

Mitsotakis, who recently visited Jordan and pledged support for Lebanon and is due to visit Egypt and Saudi Arabia, has described Greece as a bridge between Europe and the Middle East.

Turkey not the target

Both Israel and Greece have strained relations with Turkey.

George Tzogopoulos, an international relations analyst at the Nice-based International Center for European Training, however, said their growing cooperation did not amount to “an alliance against Turkey.”

“Israel is not going to take Greece’s side against Turkey,” Tzogopoulos told Agence France-Presse, adding that Israel’s problems with Turkey “go beyond the framework of Greek-Turkish relations.”

Geopolitical changes in the Middle East “are creating a new reality that Greek foreign policy cannot ignore,” Ino Afentouli, an analyst at the Greek think tank ELIAMEP, wrote recently in the Ta Nea daily.

Last year Greece’s conservative government launched its largest armed forces modernization program in decades, worth more than €25 billion.

Greece also renewed its strategic defense partnership with France in April and is set to buy two Italian frigates.

A difficult balance

The arms deal with Israel has nonetheless drawn criticism, particularly from left-wing political parties.

“The government chooses to deepen Greece’s defense/military dependence on the genocidal government of Israel, which violates international law, ignoring the protests of international organizations,” the Syriza party said.

Israel’s war in Gaza has prompted frequent demonstrations in Greece since 2023, with some protesters accusing Israel of committing genocide.

Israeli cruise ships have also been targeted by protests during stops in Piraeus and on Greek islands.

“Greece is trying to strike a balance by preserving its traditionally good relations with the Arab states” in the Middle East, Tzogopoulos said.

© Agence France-Presse