Thursday, October 28, 2010
[The following, by Joshua Siegel, is crossposted from Z Word.]
Turkish-Israeli relations have fallen to their lowest point in the months following the flotilla dispatched to Gaza by the pro-Hamas Islamist charity IHH. Joint military exercises have been canceled, Israeli tourism to Turkey has dropped by 90 per cent and Turkish officials have threatened "irreparable consequences" to relations between the two countries. Into this breach has stepped Greece.
Turkey's historic enemy is in many ways a natural replacement for Israel's largest regional ally. Like Turkey, Greece is a NATO member in the eastern Mediterranean. It has influence in the Arab world and ample space for Israel to rehearse essential long range air force drills. And unlike Turkey, Greece is a member of the European Union, Israel's largest trade partner, which last year imported $12 billion of Israeli goods.
Despite the warming of relations at the governmental level, there is a darker underlying reality. In terms of public opinion, Greece is a strongly anti-Israel country, where both antisemitism and pro-Palestinian sentiments are widespread. This is a fact that even Greek Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas noted, albeit reluctantly, on his recent visit to Israel.
At a recent European Championship qualifying match against Israel in Athens, Greek soccer fans booed Israel's national anthem, Hatikva, and waved banners accusing Israel of murdering innocent Palestinians. According to Greek journalist Nick Malkoutzis, government overtures aside:
Israel is still regarded with suspicion and anger by many Greeks who view the Palestinians as their spiritual kin. Israel's decision at the end of May to board six ships, two of which were Greek...fed rage among many Greeks about Israel's role in the Middle East and rocked relations between Athens and Jerusalem.
Greece has had a complicated relationship with its Jewish population, which prior to World War II, was quite large and vibrant. The country's Jewish community was decimated by the Nazis and their local collaborators - around 70,000 Jews were murdered following the deportations of March 1943. Writing about Greek antisemitism following repeated arson attacks upon a synagogue in Crete earlier this year, Andrew Apostolou noted:
Those who sleep through the night while a synagogue burns in their own town are a metaphor for Greece's attitude to anti-Semitism...Greece suffers from a lack of moral, religious and social leadership denouncing the embarrassment of anti-Semitism, be it vandalism or the now banal comparison of Israel with the Nazis in the national media.
The indifference of many Greeks is unsurprising. The official version of the history ensures that few know of the Jewish component of Greece's past. Many Greeks do not know that their second largest city, Salonika, had a Jewish majority for most of its modern history. Instead of the Holocaust being treated as a moment for moral and historical reflection, it is portrayed as an opportunity for national self-congratulation because of the rescue of a small number of Greek Jews. The genuine heroism of Greek Christians who saved Greek Jews from the Nazis in such places as Zakynthos and Athens is used to obscure the collaboration and indifference that helped condemn tens of thousands of Greek Jews to death in Salonika and northern Greece.
Today there are roughly 5,000 Greek Jews remaining in a country that is known for being outspokenly pro-Palestinian. In much of the Greek press, comparisons between Israel and the Nazis are routine, while home-grown Nazis in Greece are treated leniently. In March 2009, a Greek court acquitted the notorious antisemite and Nazi-sympathizer, Konstantinos Plevris, of inciting hatred and violence against Jews. In the aftermath, three human rights activists were then tried by the court for questioning its decision.
Will the apparent thaw in Israeli-Greek relations accomplish anything? Israelis don't seem to mind that their love is mostly unrequited. Israeli tourism to Greece has risen 60% in the last year and Greek musicians have been all the rage, to the point that they inspire some top Israeli artists. And even if it's true that the average Greek does not have much affection for Israel, there's no reason to believe the average Turk did either.
In fact, one thing that both populations have in common is a widespread animosity toward Israel that influences bilateral relations. Despite the Greek government's adjusted stance, it still cut short joint military drills this summer to protest the Gaza flotilla incident. The Jerusalem Post stoically ended a glowing article on the potential of Israel-Greek relations with the words, "...unless Greek public opinion stands in the way." Even so, some notable changes have been recorded, like the Greek absention from the UN vote on the Goldstone Report, something that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.
Israel's Hellenic affair is loaded with potential, but as long as the Greek street is against it, any benefits from this relationship will be fleeting. If Israel is interested in a long-term partnership, it must consider whether it's willing to put in the efforts to win over Greek voters, as well as deliberating on the trickier question of whether anything at all will persuade them to change their minds.
