Israel Matzav

Greece and Golan wine

Sorry posting was light yesterday. Hopefully, today will be a bit better.

David Solway is frustrated with Greece's one-sided view of Israel's dispute with Syria over the Golan. Solway writes that Greece, which was at one time supportive of Israel and resentful of its own 400-year occupation by Ottoman Turkey has since 9/11 capitulated to Islamic terrorism by adopting a hostile view to Israel. He tells the story of why he has fallen out of love with Greece and in the process sets out Israel's claim to the Golan Heights as clearly as I have ever seen it set out.

The moment of epiphany for me came when I learned of a rather unsavory episode involving leftist PASOK deputy and current Vice President Theodoros Pangalos that occurred at the end of 2008. Pangalos had received a Christmas gift of three bottles of Golan wine from the Israeli embassy in Athens. He quickly returned the offending vintage, accompanied by a letter stating: “I have been taught since I was very young not to steal and not to accept products of theft. So I cannot possibly accept this gift and must return it back to you. As you know, your country occupies illegally the Golan Heights who belong to Syria, according to the international law and numerous decisions of the international community.”

The VP, however, was as historically and politically illiterate as he was socially uncouth. In his representative act of refusing a gift, he made no mention of the rich cultural contribution of the indigenous Jewish communities to Greek life, dating back to the second century BCE. As for the Golan, he also ignored the years of indiscriminate shelling endured by Israelis from Syrian gun emplacements on the commanding heights; nor did he note the Syrian-Israeli hostilities of 1967 and 1973, which concluded in the Israeli annexation of the territory. The Golan is Israeli in virtue of the doctrine of the right of conquest, i.e., in wars where the victorious party is not the aggressor. (I don’t see Alsace-Lorraine or Gdansk — Danzig — being returned to Germany anytime soon, or Italy restoring the South Tyrol to Austria.)

Pangalos is equally ignorant of diplomatic history, although in this respect he differs little from many observers, politicians, and commentators in the West.

Read the whole thing.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 7:57 AM