Tri-lateral Israel–Greece–Cyprus Meeting Held

June 15, 2017

Friday, 16 June 2017 | Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, prior to leaving for Thessaloniki, Greece on June 14, made the following remarks:

“As part of our efforts, which are bearing diplomatic fruit, to enhance relations between Israel and many countries in the world, I am now leaving for the annual summit that we founded between Israel, Greece and Cyprus. This year the summit will focus on innovation and it always deals with energy, security and strategic cooperation, economic matters and tourism. This year the summit will be in Thessaloniki and there is a reason for this. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and I, together with a representative of the German government, will unveil a plaque to mark the start of construction of a museum dedicated to the memory of the Jews of Greece and Thessaloniki. The German government has made a considerable contribution to this project.

I asked Moshe Ha-Elion, one of this year’s Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day torch lighters, who was born in Thessaloniki, to join us. He was very moved, and so was I. He simply felt unwell and therefore, I asked his daughter Rachel and his son Eliyahu to join us and represent him. My wife and I send him our best wishes for a complete recovery, he is a dear Jew. I am certain that the dedication event in Thessaloniki will warm his heart.

Today, we can also announce two pieces of good news, one from Switzerland and the other from the Netherlands. I welcome the Swiss parliament’s decision to require the Swiss government not to finance NGOs that foster hate, racism, anti-Semitism and incitement. Second, I commend the Dutch government and my friend, Prime Minister Mark Rutte, for their decision to stop financing the Palestinian terrorist NGO that extols the memory of Dalal Mughrabi and to reconsider the financing that the Netherlands provides to other NGOs. I think that here as well we are seeing that our effort is bearing fruit, and we have what to aspire to – the Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark and Norway, and I am certain that additional countries will join.

Lastly, we are now going to meet with the first ultra-orthodox woman pilot. You are invited to join. She is the first, but not the last.”

Posted on June 15, 2017

Source: (The Israel Ministry of Foreign affairs originally published this press release from the Prime Minister’s Media Adviser on 14 June, 2017. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today.)

Photo Credit: Amos BenGershom/GPO