Greek-Israeli Ties Examined During Event In Chicago

Chicago hosted an event this week, “Today’s Middle East: Challenges, Leadership, Communication,” focusing on a wide range of political, economic, business, defense and energy issues relating to the emerging and recently repeatedly boosted trilateral alliance among Greece, Israel and the US.

Recent turbulent developments in the Middle East and the Mediterranean have called for the development and strengthening of more and deeper ties between Greece and Israel, which are complemented by the activities of the American-Jewish and Greek-American diaspora in the USA.

According to Chicago Medill News, eminent professor on International Communication and US policy in the Middle East and director of the Center for International Communication at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, Eytan Gilboa, noted that the rising challenges are reshaping the geopolitical-strategic chart of the region and the improvement in bilateral relations between the two countries is reasonable.

“There is a need for an alliance. What is happening in the Middle East is affecting what is going on regionally and globally,” added Professor Gilboa.

The Greek Consulate and the National Strategy Forum co-sponsored an event last Wednesday examining the importance of establishing strong ties between Greece, Cyprus, Israel and the US titled “Greece, Israel and the United States: An Emerging Trilateral Alliance in the Middle East.” According to Endy Zemenides, executive director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council in Chicago, the alliance between the two countries would add to the stabilization of the broader region.

Since 2012, Greece and Israel have been revitalizing their diplomatic relations with bilateral official visits, joint military exercises with the USA (Noble Dina in April 2012) and energy cooperation of the natural gas resources located between Israel, Cyprus, Turkey and Lebanon.