The Emergence of Israeli-Greek Cooperation Aristotle Tziampiris

The Emergence of Israeli-Greek Cooperation Aristotle Tziampiris The Emergence of Israeli-Greek Cooperation 1 3 Aristotle Tziampiris Athens Greece ISBN 978-3-319-12603-6 ISBN 978-3-319-12604-3 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-12604-3 Library of Congress Control Number: 2014956369 Springer Cham Heidelberg New York Dordrecht London © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) To my wife Maria v Preface and Acknowledgments For more than six decades, relations between Greece and Israel were ambivalent, frosty, and detached. However, starting in 2009, Greek policy was overturned with only few expecting or predicting it. It is the goal of this study to examine in detail this new relationship, explain how and why it came about and explore its theoretical and regional consequences. Most of this study was written while I was a visiting fellow at New York Univer- sity’s Remarque Institute. I am thus indebted to Katherine E. Fleming who as the Remarque Institute’s Director (and NYU’s Senior Vice Provost and Vice Chancel- lor, Europe) made possible the productive use of my sabbatical. I have received only encouragement from my Department of International and European Studies at the University of Piraeus. I have been fortunate to interact with colleagues who consider theoretical and academic debates with the utmost seri- ousness and constantly fight to ensure an environment that fosters inquiry and the genuine exchange of views. Hence, many thanks to Professors Athanasios Platias, Panayiotis Ifestos, Angelos Kotios, Nikos Kotzias, Christos Hadjiemmanuil, Ilias Kouskouvelis and Haralambos Papasotiriou. Different parts of this study were presented at various seminars and conferences, allowing me to receive crucial feedback. I am thus grateful to the American Jew- ish Committee and its President David Harris, who was especially helpful and en- couraging; the Association of Modern Greek Studies, the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, the U.S. Foreign Service Institute, Greece’s School of National Security, the Remarque Institute, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the Wilson Center. This study benefited enormously from a series of in-depth, off the record interviews with both Israeli and Greek officials, often at the highest levels of power. These interviews were conducted in Greece, Israel, and the USA over the span of almost 3 years, often as specific events were unfolding or in their immediate after- math. They provided me with an invaluable understanding of the process of foreign policy decision-making. I am grateful to all of these officials. I am also respecting their desire that they may not be named, since most remain prominent public figures and civil servants. vii viii Preface and Acknowledgments I was also helped considerably from continuous conversations with leading aca- demics, intellectuals, and professionals, many of whom I also count as my good friends. Hence, many thanks to Aristide Caratzas, Efrain Inbar, Petros Liacouras, Ioannis Mazis, Mark Medish, Aryeh Mekel, Amikam Nachmani, Nachik Navoth, Alex Rondos, Katerina Tsapikidou, and John Sitilides. This study would not have been made possible without the constant support, encouragement, and patience of my wife Maria Contominas, to whom it is dedicated. Of course, I remain solely responsible for all the arguments presented. Contents 1 Introduction .............................................................................................. 1 1.1 Greek Foreign Policy in the Shadow of the Debt Crisis ................... 1 1.2 Plan of the Study �� 8 References .................................................................................................. 16 2 Balance of Power and Soft Balancing .................................................... 21 2.1 The Evolution of Balance of Power Theory ...................................... 21 2.2 Balance of Power: Definitions and Commonalities .......................... 26 2.3 Theories of Balancing Power and Soft Balancing ............................. 28 References .................................................................................................. 33 3 The Fraught Relationship Between Greeks and Jews .......................... 39 3.1 The Greeks and the Jews ................................................................... 39 3.2 Jews and the Modern Greek State ..................................................... 41 3.3 Greece and Israel After the Holocaust ............................................... 46 3.4 The Normalization of Israeli–Greek Relations .................................. 49 References .................................................................................................. 51 4 Greece, Israel, and the Rise of Turkey ................................................... 55 4.1 Turkey’s Neo-Ottoman Turn.............................................................. 55 4.2 The Diverging Greek–Turkish Power Indicators .............................. 58 4.3 The Deterioration of Turkey’s Special Relationship with Israel ....... 64 References .................................................................................................. 70 5 The Beginning of the Israeli–Greek Rapprochement ........................... 77 5.1 Glorious Spartan and the Goldstone Report ...................................... 77 5.2 The “Electra Group” and the “Cafe Pushkin” Meeting ..................... 79 5.3 The Mavi Marmara Turning Point and Papandreou’s Visit to Israel ........................................................ 82 5.4 Netanyahu’s Historic Visit to Greece ................................................ 86 5.5 A New Climate in Bilateral Relations ............................................... 91 References .................................................................................................. 98 ix x Contents 6 The Intensification of Israeli–Greek Cooperation ................................ 103 6.1 The First Tests: Wildfires in Israel and Anti-Semitic Comments in Greece ......................................................................... 103 6.2 The Greek Reaction to Freedom Flotilla II—Stay Human ............... 107 6.3 The Consolidation of Israeli–Greek Cooperation .............................. 112 6.4 “Papandreouism without Papandreou” .............................................. 117 References .................................................................................................. 127 7 The Beginning of Energy Cooperation Between Israel, Cyprus, and Greece.................................................................................. 135 7.1 The Natural Gas Revolution and the Levantine Basin ...................... 135 7.2 Cyprus and Natural Gas Exploration ................................................. 142 7.3 Hellenic–Israeli Energy Cooperation and Turkey’s Intensified Reaction ........................................................................... 146 References .................................................................................................. 154 8 Conclusion ................................................................................................ 163 8.1 Soft Balancing in the Eastern Mediterranean .................................... 163 8.2 The Future of Israeli–Greek Relations .............................................. 170 References .................................................................................................. 181 About the Author Dr. Aristotle Tziampiris is Associate Professor of International Relations and Director of the Center for International and European Affairs at the Department of International and European Studies of the University of Piraeus. He was Visiting Fellow at New York University (The Remarque Institute) during the 2013–2014 academic year and Visiting Scholar at Columbia University (The Harriman Institute) in 2009. Dr. Tziampiris is a former member of the Scientific Board of the Institute of Defence Analyses (IAA-Athens, Greece, 2004–2009) and IAA’s Board of Directors (September 2005-June 2006), as well as former Research Associate at the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP-Athens, Greece, 2000–2008). He is the author of Faith and

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