Israel and Greece forge closer ties
As Israel’s relationship with Turkey has soured, its relations with Greece have grown stronger.
The organisers of a Gaza aid flotilla banned from leaving a Greek port say they are determined to continue their campaign.
The activists say Israel has pressured the Greek government to prevent their mission.
The Greek foreign ministry denies this. But the incident highlights shifting regional relations.
The relationship between Greece and Israel, reflected in official figures, show a 50 per cent increase in Israeli visitors over the past year.
Meanwhile. the number of Israeli tourists to neighboring Turkey has dropped by nearly 90 per cent, one relationship weakening, as the other grows stronger.
It is a relationship based on mutual need. In its financial meltdown Greece has been urgently searching for new markets, and a different source of its economic lifeblood – tourism.
Al Jazeera’s Mike Hanna reports from Athens.