On January 28, Benjamin Netanyahu met with his Greek and Cypriot counterparts in the Cypriot capital of Nicosias. The meeting follows six years of improved relations between Israel and Greece, and, writes Arye Mekel, suggests the emergence of an eastern Mediterranean bloc that can provide a counterweight to Turkey:
The policy of the Greek prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, toward Israel is both impressive and surprising. Tsipras heads the left-wing Syriza party, which has been very critical of Israel in the past. But in the year since he first took office, . . . Tsipras has demonstrated centrist policies in both domestic and foreign affairs. . . . .
From an Israeli perspective, the recent developments with Greece and Cyprus constitute a win-win situation. The strengthening of ties with these countries creates a new geopolitical bloc that could, to some extent, stand up to Turkey. . . . [Furthermore], Greece is ready . . . to assist Israel within the European Union, as it proved recently when it led the opposition to labeling settlement products. This represents a sharp change in Greek policy. . . . Cyprus, [for its part], almost automatically supports the Greek position, which gives the Greeks a double vote within EU institutions.
Stronger Israeli relations with Greece and Cyprus may also serve to encourage Turkey to show more flexibility in negotiations regarding normalization of ties between Ankara and Jerusalem.
Read more on BESA Center: http://besacenter.org/perspectives-papers/israel-greece-and-cyprus/