At what cost? Greece’s €3 billion defence deal with Israel

Opinion eugenocideGreeceIsraelmilitary At what cost? Greece’s €3 billion defence deal with Israel Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis issue joint statements in Jerusalem, June 16, 2020. Debbie Hill/Pool via REUTERS Relevant News Israeli minister sets out plan to expel all Palestinians from Gaza 4 September 2026 At what cost? Greece’s €3 billion defence deal with Israel 4 September 2026 At least 37 dead in Nigeria pipeline incident, group says 4 September 2026 Theodosis Pipis 4 September 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Israel and Greece have taken their rapidly expanding defence relationship to a new level with a €3 billion agreement under which Israel will build a multilayered air-defence network for Greece. Described by Israel’s Defence Ministry as the largest defence export deal in the history of the two countries’ relations, the “Achilles Shield” system will bring together Israeli missile-interception platforms, radars and command systems to protect Greece against ballistic missiles, aircraft and drones. With 19 Greek companies already involved and more than €750 million of the programme expected to flow into the Greek defence industry, Athens is not simply purchasing military equipment; it is deepening an increasingly integrated strategic and industrial partnership with Israel. Greece has serious security concerns, particularly regarding Türkiye, and the government presents the €3 billion investment as part of a much broader military modernisation programme. Reuters reports that Greece plans roughly €28 billion in defence investment through 2036, while defence spending is currently around 3.5% of GDP. However, the question is whether these concerns justify deepening cooperation with Israel at a moment when the latter is facing unprecedented international scrutiny. The scale of this agreement is significant in itself. But its timing and political context make it considerably more consequential. Greece is an EU member state entering into a major and long-term defence partnership with Israel at a moment when Israel faces grave international accusations over its conduct in Gaza, Syria, Lebanon and the West bank. The question becomes even more significant if the European Union were to move towards suspending its association with Israel in response to violations of international law and human rights. On July 13, EU foreign ministers overwhelmingly backed sanctioning trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Furthermore, A European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI), “Justice for Palestine,” collected approximately 1.3 million signatures from EU citizens demanding that the European Commission fully suspends the EU-Israel Association Agreement over documented human rights violations in the Palestinian territories and the genocide in Gaza. Beyond the violations of human rights and international law, the human cost of Israel’s military operations has been staggering: since October 2023, more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, alongside more than 1,000 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and nearly 9,000 people in Lebanon. The UN commission of inquiry, several human rights groups and the world’s leading association of genocide scholars have concluded that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. Israel denies the accusation. Greece could therefore find itself deepening bilateral military and industrial cooperation with Israel at precisely the moment when the EU is moving in the opposite direction. This would not merely create a diplomatic contradiction; it could raise questions about Greece’s consistency with the collective foreign-policy position of the EU and the principles underpinning the EU-Israel relationship. If European institutions ultimately determine that Israel’s conduct warrants meaningful restrictions, Athens could face the uncomfortable reality of having committed itself to a long-term defence relationship with a state whose actions the EU is seeking to sanction or otherwise constrain. The more difficult question is what Greece is willing to compromise in pursuit of that security. What Greece may be compromising, first and foremost, is its ability to maintain a credible and independent foreign policy. By placing Israel at the centre of such a significant part of its future defence architecture, Athens is not merely purchasing a collection of weapons systems; it is strengthening a strategic relationship with a government whose conduct has placed it increasingly at odds with parts of the international community. The €3 billion agreement therefore carries a diplomatic cost that cannot be measured solely in euros. At a time when Greece presents itself as a pillar of stability in the Eastern Mediterranean and as a committed member of the European Union, its decision to deepen military ties with Israel risks undermining the credibility of that position. If European governments move towards stronger restrictions on Israel, Greece could find itself having to reconcile its obligations and political commitments within the EU with an increasingly entrenched bilateral relationship with Israel. There is also a less immediately visible question of strategic autonomy. The Greek government presents the “Achilles Shield” as a means of strengthening national security, but the system will be built around Israeli technology, Israeli expertise and an Israeli-designed systems architecture. That raises an uncomfortable possibility: that in seeking greater protection from external threats, Greece may simultaneously become more dependent on another state for the technology underpinning its own defence. The issue is not whether Israeli systems are capable, but whether Greece can maintain full control over the system, including its software, maintenance, upgrades, supply chains and future development. Strategic autonomy means more than possessing sophisticated weapons; it means retaining the ability to operate and sustain them independently when political relationships become strained. In this respect, the “Achilles Shield” may ultimately present Greece with a paradox: greater military capability, but potentially less freedom to distance itself from the state providing it. The most profound concern, however, lies in what it means for Greece to deepen a defence relationship with a state that has been accused by international bodies of committing genocide. The UN statement in June 2026 said that Israeli authorities and security forces continued to commit genocide and other atrocity crimes. While Israel continues to reject these accusations, the allegations place a fundamentally different weight on the decision to enter into a €3 billion defence partnership with the country. This is not simply a question of purchasing technology from a controversial state; it raises the question of whether commercial and strategic interests can, or should, be separated from the conduct of the state with which Greece is choosing to do business. By committing itself to long-term military cooperation at a time when Israel is facing such serious allegations, Greece risks sending the message that strategic interests can take precedence over accountability, and that there are circumstances in which economic and security considerations outweigh the principles of human rights and international law that Greece, as an EU member state, is expected to uphold. Ultimately, the “Achilles Shield” is more than a €3 billion defence agreement; it is a political choice about the partners Greece is willing to stand alongside and the principles it is willing to uphold. Greece has legitimate security concerns, but pursuing them through deeper military cooperation with Israel, amid serious allegations of violations of international law and genocide in Gaza, comes at a political and moral cost. The question is therefore not whether Greece should protect itself, but what it is willing to compromise in the pursuit of security. By choosing to deepen its relationship with Israel at this moment, Greece risks sacrificing diplomatic credibility, strategic autonomy and its commitment to the principles it claims to uphold as an EU member state. Read more: Greece signs €3bn air defence deal with Israel Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Israeli minister sets out plan to expel all Palestinians from Gaza At least 37 dead in Nigeria pipeline incident, group says On this day: Egypt and Israel sign Sinai pact to pull back forces and secure peace Things to do Friday, September 4 Kyrenia boat disaster death toll rises to 12 as two more bodies found Man, 90, becomes first West Nile virus death in Cyprus this year Police investigate rape claim by domestic helper in Nicosia Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.