This Greek National Day Event Is Sponsored by Israeli Arms Makers

02/04/2023

A highly unusual invitation showcases Israel’s Elbit and Rafael as sponsors of the Greek ambassador to Israel’s Independence Day celebration

By Oded Yaron
Mar 16, 2023

A festive – and unusual – invitation landed recently in the mailboxes of many Israelis. On March 29, the Greek ambassador to Israel, Kyriakos Loukakis, will host a reception at the Yitzhak Rabin Center in Tel Aviv to celebrate the National Day of Greece.Inviting fellow diplomats, CEOs and journalists to such events is routine, but the Wednesday invitation stands out. The bottom of the invitation features three colorful corporate logos: Two belong to the Israeli defense contractors Elbit Systems and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, and the third belongs to Greek-British energy company Energean, which operates the recently developed offshore platform of the Karish-Tanin natural gas fields.

Sources who spoke to Haaretz said they cannot recall a diplomatic invitation containing commercial sponsorships.

Cooperation between Israel and Greece has grown stronger in recent years, manifested by the license and lease awarded to Energean for two Israeli gas fields. The company connected its drilling platform to the Israeli gas network in October 2022. During the same month, Energean announced the discovery of another offshore gas field near Israel.

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