The new Israeli ambassador to Greece, Pninat Yannay, is taking up the role of envoy in a country that is a member of both NATO and the European Union, and has stood by Israel in difficult times.
Over the past three years, the Greek government has made the politically bold choice to support Israel, to the extent of causing reactions both domestically and internationally – and this is something that must be acknowledged in tangible terms by the recipient of that support. Standing by Israel does not mean, of course, that Athens has not been critical of excessive actions and reactions. As the Greek prime minister himself has said, “Good friends must speak hard truths.”
Ambassador Yannay has been posted to a country that has cultivated cooperation with Israel as part of a deliberate “national strategy” that has spanned some two decades and been adopted by prime ministers across the ideological spectrum, from George Papandreou and Antonis Samaras to Alexis Tsipras and Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Another important parameter of this cooperation is the trilateral partnership that includes Cyprus and which plays a crucial role in connecting Israel to the European Union, while also acting as a stabilizing factor in the Eastern Mediterranean.
