Posted on August 6, 2015 by willyloman
by Ali Abunimah, Electronic Intifada
Greek, along with Italian, military forces are soon to train in Israel.
This is the latest indicator of the deepening military alliance being forged between Israel and Greece’s government led by the leftist Syriza party.
Last month, Israeli helicopter pilots completed an unprecedented 11-day combat training exercise near Greece’s Mount Olympus.
In May, the Syriza-led government also signed amilitary accord with Israel, matched only by a similar one between Israel and the US, granting legal immunities to each other’s military personnel while training in the other’s territory.
The military deal was signed on behalf of the government by Panagiotis Kammenos, the defense minister from Independent Greeks, Syriza’s rightwing, junior coalition partner. But there is no doubt that Syriza is giving its full backing: in July, the Syriza-nominated Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias traveled to Jerusalem for high-level talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries.”
Earlier this year Israeli warplanes carried out extensive training missions in Greece, experience that will undoubtedly be used to attack the Gaza Strip in future Israeli military assaults.
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Filed under: Alexis Tsipras, Greek Elections 2015, Greek referendum, Neoliberalizing Greece, Yanis Varoufakis