Some 444 firefighters, assisted by 14 helicopters and four planes, have been deployed to contain wildfires at different locations on the Greek island of Chios after the island declared a state of emergency
🚨 BREAKING: A 6.2 Earthquake just occurred in Mediterranean sea, near Karpathos, Greece, was felt across the region? Including across Israel. No reports of injuries or damage.
A woman was killed early Saturday in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki when a bomb she was carrying exploded in her hands, police said. The 38-year-old woman was apparently carrying the bomb to place outside a nearby bank around 5 a.m., police said. Several storefronts and vehicles were damaged by the explosion. Police said the woman, whom they did not publicly identify, had a criminal record and had been involved in at least one robbery and thefts in the past. The Greek police’s division for organized crime was investigating the incident, while authorities were also investigating whether the woman might have had ties to extreme leftist groups. Greece has seen occasional bombings, as well as targeted killings, attributed to various organized crime groups. The country also has a long history of politically motivated violence dating back to the 1970s, with domestic extremist groups carrying out small-scale bombings that usually cause some damage but rarely lead to injuries. While the groups most active in the 1980s and 1990s, whose preferred targets tended to be politicians, foreign businesses and diplomats, have been dismantled, new small groups have emerged. Last year, a man believed to have been trying to assemble a bomb was killed when the device he was making exploded in a central Athens apartment. A woman inside the apartment was severely injured. It was unclear what their intended target might have been. The blast had prompted Minister of Citizen Protection Michalis Chrisochoidis to warn of an emerging new generation of domestic extremists. In April, a new group calling itself Revolutionary Class Struggle claimed responsibility for a bomb that exploded in central Athens near the offices of Hellenic Train, Greece’s main railway services operator, and the planting of another bomb near the Labor Ministry in early February. The explosion near the train offices resulted in limited damage to the building and no injuries. It had been preceded by an anonymous call to local media 40 minutes before the blast warning about the device, leading police to evacuate and cordon off the area. The group that claimed responsibility said the bombing was part of an armed struggle against the state. The bombing at the train offices came shortly after the second anniversary of Greece’s worst railway disaster, in which 57 people were killed and dozens more injured when a freight train and a passenger train heading in opposite directions were accidentally put on the same track. The deadly accident sparked widespread anger and exposed severe deficiencies in Greece’s railway system, including in safety systems. Some of the relatives of the victims led mass protests against the country’s conservative government on the occasion of the accident’s second anniversary. (AP)
🚨🚨 INSANE FOOTAGE FROM ISRAEL AS HORRIFIC WILDFIRES SPREAD NEAR JERUSALEM Greece and Cyprus are sending at least 10 “supertanker” planes, reports said. Belgium has also promised to send aid At just prior to 3:00 p.m., efforts were underway to remove the median barriers on Route 1, so as to allow vehicles to escape.
Scientists have detected several thousand earthquakes, the vast majority of them with small magnitudes, in just over two weeks near Greece’s volcanic island of Santorini, the University of Athens’ crisis management committee said Tuesday, adding that a larger quake cannot be ruled out. The highly unusual barrage of earthquakes which began in late January has alarmed authorities. They have declared a state of emergency on Santorini, one of Greece’s most popular tourist destinations, deploying rescue crews with drones and a sniffer dog and putting coast guard and navy vessels on standby. Thousands of residents and visitors have left the island, while schools on Santorini and nearby islands have been ordered to remain closed for the week. Extra doctors and paramedics have been sent to Santorini’s hospital, while six disaster medicine teams are on standby as reinforcements. Medical staff practiced an evacuation drill Tuesday, running out of the building while wheeling stretchers with people posing as patients. “The preparation of our health facilities for natural disasters such as earthquakes is of vital importance,” Deputy Health Minister Marios Themistokleous said while visiting the hospital. Scientists have been closely monitoring the earthquake swarm occurring between the islands of Santorini and Amorgos, and the two volcanoes in the area. They say it’s unclear whether the dozens of quakes each day – ranging from magnitude 3 to roughly 5 or just above – are a precursor to a significantly larger, main earthquake or will continue with frequent lower magnitude quakes for several weeks or months. Overall, about 12,000 earthquakes with magnitudes greater than 1 have been registered since Jan. 26, with 109 occurring on Monday alone, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens’ crisis management committee said in a statement Tuesday. Thirteen of Monday’s quakes registered magnitudes greater than 4, while several more with similar magnitudes struck on Tuesday. The largest so far, with a magnitude 5.2, struck on Monday night and was followed about two hours later by another with magnitude 5. “The possibility of a main earthquake following cannot be ruled out,” the statement said. Scientists were deploying more surveying equipment in the area Tuesday to monitor the situation, the University of Athens said, while seismologists and volcanologists were to meet with government officials Tuesday evening as part of regular discussions of the situation. Although Greece lies in a highly seismically active part of the world and earthquakes are frequent, it is very rare for any part of the country to experience such an intense barrage of earthquakes for such an extended period of time. Santorini took its present crescent shape following a massive volcanic eruption in antiquity — one of the largest known eruptions in human history. Now, millions of visitors each year see its dramatic scenery of whitewashed houses and blue-domed churches clinging to the rim of the caldera, the flooded crater left behind by a volcano that erupted and then collapsed. (AP)
The European Court of Human Rights in a landmark ruling Tuesday found that Greece illegally deported a woman back to neighboring Turkey, and described the use of summary expulsions, or “pushbacks,” as systematic. The decision could impact how Europe handles migrants at its borders, at a time when Greece and several European Union member states are seeking tougher immigration controls. Frontline EU member states receive financial support from Brussels to handle illegal migration. A Turkish woman — identified by her initials A.R.E. — was awarded damages of 20,000 euros ($21,000) after the court ruled that she had been improperly expelled in 2019 after crossing into Greece, with no opportunity to make an asylum claim. “The court considered that there were strong indications to suggest that there had existed, at the time of the events alleged, a systematic practice of ‘pushbacks’ of third-country nationals by the Greek authorities, from the Evros region (on the Greek border) to Turkey,” the decision said. Citing a lack of evidence, the court rejected a second claim made by an Afghan man who said he had been illegally returned to Turkey from the Greek island of Samos in 2020 when he was 15. Greek government representatives at the hearings denied the allegations, challenging the authenticity of the evidence presented and arguing that Greece’s border policies comply with international law. Niamh Keady-Tabbal, a member of the legal team for the Afghan migrant, described the court’s decision as broadly significant but also “profoundly unjust” regarding the man’s case. “It is quite unjust that such a cynical position of blanket denial can serve in practice to shield the Greek government from accountability,” she told The Associated Press. The U.N. refugee agency has urged Greece to more thoroughly investigate multiple allegations of pushbacks, while several major human rights groups have described the alleged irregular deportations as systematic. Greece’s National Transparency Authority, a publicly funded corruption watchdog, said it found no evidence to support the pushback allegations following a four-month investigation in 2022. The European Court of Human Rights is an international court based in Strasbourg, France, that adjudicates human rights violations by 46 member states of the Council of Europe, a body older than the European Union and its predecessor, the European Economic Community. Greece registered more than 60,000 illegal arrivals of migrants last year, an increase of nearly 50% from 2023. It seeks direct funding from the EU to pay for the planned expansion of a border wall along the land frontier with Turkey. (AP)
President-elect Donald Trump made another flurry of job announcements on Tuesday, selecting Andrew Ferguson as the next chair of the Federal Trade Commission, Ron Johnson was nominated to be ambassador to Mexico, and Kimberly Guilfoyle to be ambassador to Greece. Ferguson, who is already one of the FTC’s five commissioners, will replace Lina Khan, who became a lightning rod for Wall Street and Silicon Valley by blocking billions of dollars worth of corporate acquisitions and suing Amazon and Meta while alleging anticompetitive behavior. “Andrew has a proven record of standing up to Big Tech censorship, and protecting Freedom of Speech in our Great Country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding, “Andrew will be the most America First, and pro-innovation FTC Chair in our Country’s History.” Tom Barrack was chosen as the nominee for ambassador to Turkey. Barrack, a wealthy financier, met Trump in the 1980s while helping negotiate Trump’s purchase of the renowned Plaza Hotel. He was charged with using his personal access to the former president to secretly promote the interests of the United Arab Emirates, but was acquitted of all counts at a federal trial in 2022. Trump called him a “well-respected and experienced voice of reason.” Johnson — not the Republican senator — served as ambassador to El Salvador during Trump’s first administration. His nomination comes as the president-elect has been threatening tariffs on Mexican imports and the mass deportation of migrants who have arrived to the U.S.-Mexico border. Johnson is also a former U.S. Army veteran and was in the Central Intelligence Agency. Guilfoyle is a former California prosecutor and television news personality who led the fundraising for Trump’s 2020 campaign and became engaged to Don Jr. in 2020. Trump called her “a close friend and ally” and praised her “sharp intellect make her supremely qualified.” Guilfoyle was on stage with the family on election night. “I am so proud of Kimberly. She loves America and she always has wanted to serve the country as an Ambassador. She will be an amazing leader for America First,” Don Jr. posted. The ambassador positions must be approved by the U.S. Senate. Guilfoyle said in a social media post that she was “honored to accept President Trump’s nomination to serve as the next Ambassador to Greece and I look forward to earning the support of the U.S. Senate.” Trump also announced Tuesday that he had selected Jacob Helberg as the next undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment, and Dan Bishop as deputy director for budget at the Office of Budget and Management. The replacement of Khan at the FTC likely means that the commission will operate with a lighter touch when it comes to antitrust enforcement. The new chair is expected to appoint new directors of the FTC’s antitrust and consumer protection divisions. “These changes likely will make the FTC more favorable to business than it has been in recent years, though the extent to which is to be determined,” wrote Anthony DiResta, a consumer protection attorney at Holland & Knight, in a recent analysis. Deals that were blocked by the Biden administration could find new life with Trump in command. For example, the new leadership could be more open to a proposed merger between the country’s two biggest supermarket chains, Kroger and Albertsons, which
A disturbing incident occurred last weekend in Cyprus when an IDF reservist who completed his reserve duty was targeted by a Cypriot anti-Israel organization after he shared his arrival on the island on social media. The organization called for his arrest, claiming “war crimes,” Yisrael Hayom reported on Monday. Israeli security officials identified the threat and warned the soldier. He was quickly returned to Israel to thwart his arrest. On Sunday, Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued a warning to Israelis in Greece to avoid certain areas, including the area of the Israeli embassy in Athens, as well as Aristotle University in Thessaloniki and the US consulate in the city. The warning added that Israelis should “conceal Israel and Jewish symbols.” The reason for the warning is that Sunday was November 17, which is marked in Greece each year as the commemoration of the Athens Polytechnic uprising, a massive student demonstration against the Greek military junta in 1973 that ended in bloodshed on November 17. The military junta ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974. Thousands of Greek students in Athens and Thessaloniki participated in the protests, with some waving Palestinian flags and screaming about “genocide.” In Athens, the students marched to the US Embassy and then continued to the Israeli embassy. The U.S. Embassy also issued a warning to US citizens in Greece, saying that “some past demonstrations have turned violent and have involved destruction of property.” Israel’s warning to Israelis in Greece was lifted after Sunday’s protests were over. However, it should be noted that Israel’s National Security had previously designated Greece as a Level 2 threat, which means there are concerns about occasional or random threats against Israelis and Jews. This warning is still in effect. Israeli media outlets spoke to Israelis living in Greece who said that they have no issues with local Greeks and generally feel safe but are cautious in areas where Muslim immigrants frequent. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Two people died overnight in a large wildfire burning through forestland in Greece near a seaside resort in the country’s south, authorities said Monday. The fire service said about 350 firefighters, assisted by 18 water-dropping aircraft, were battling the blaze near Xylokastro in the Peloponnese region. While the initial large front was put out, scattered flare-ups continued to burn, forcing evacuation orders for three villages on Monday. Earlier, half a dozen villages were ordered evacuated overnight as a precaution after the blaze broke out on Sunday. There was no threat to Xylokastro. The flames were fanned by very strong winds blowing through forests left tinder-dry by a warm spring and hot summer, attributed to climate change. Civil protection officials warned that several parts of the country, including Rhodes and other southeastern Aegean Sea islands, would face a high risk of wildfires Tuesday. Authorities said the two dead men were believed to be residents who were declared missing late Sunday. No one else was reported missing. There were no immediate reports of burned homes in the affected area, located some 150 kilometers (93 miles) southwest of Greece’s capital, Athens. Firefighters assisted by five water-dropping aircraft were also battling a forest fire that broke out Monday farther south, near Xerokambi in the central Peloponnese. Another wildfire near Andravida, in the western Peloponnese, was also brought under control on Monday, but firefighters remained on alert. Greece, like other southern European countries, is plagued by destructive wildfires every summer that have been exacerbated by global warming. Over the past few months, authorities have had to cope with more than 4,500 wildfires in countryside left parched by a protracted drought and early summer heatwaves, in what was considered the most dangerous fire season in two decades. A big investment in extra water-bombing aircraft, warning drones and other equipment have enabled firefighters to extinguished most blazes shortly after they broke out. However, in August, a ferocious wildfire swept through the mountains north of Athens, destroying scores of homes and killing one person. Still, authorities say this summer’s expanses that have been burned are about 25% less in size than the annual average of the past 20 years. (AP)
Greece formally approved an offer to buy 20 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters from the United States as part of a major defense overhaul, government officials said Thursday. “The letter of acceptance for the F-35s has been signed and sent to the United States,” Defense Minister Nikos Dendias said while visiting a military air base near Athens. The purchase, he said, would create “a powerful deterrent presence in our region.” Delivery of the fifth-generation jet made by Lockheed Martin is expected to start in 2028, while Greece maintains the option to purchase 20 additional F-35 jets as part of an $8.6 billion deal. The purchase of the first 20 jets along with additional support will cost some $3.5 billion, Greek officials said. Greece is overhauling its military in a decade-long program following a protracted financial crisis and continued tension with neighbor and NATO ally Turkey, mostly over a volatile sea boundary dispute. Turkey was dropped from the F-35 program five years ago over its decision to buy Russian-made S-400 surface-to-air missile system, a move seen in the United States as a compromise to NATO security. In Athens, government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis described the current military modernization campaign as the most significant in “many decades.” “We will continue to implement this major program, equipping our country and armoring its defenses,” Marinakis said. Athens has been seeking an advantage in the air since Turkey’s exclusion from F-35 purchases and has also acquired advanced French-made Rafale fighter jets. Deliveries to the Greek air force began in 2021, starting with jets previously used by France’s military that will be supplemented by new aircraft built by French defense contractor Dassault Aviation. Bridget Lauderdale, Lockheed Martin’s vice president and general manager of the F-35 program, described the aircraft as being ideal to “strengthen Greece’s sovereignty and operational capability with allies.” “It is our honor to continue (our) relationship as Greece becomes the 19th nation to join the F-35 program,” she said, The U.S. State Department in January approved the sale that could eventually total 40 F-35 aircraft, along with 42 engines as well as services and equipment including secure communications devices, electronic warfare systems, training, logistics, and maintenance support. Current members of the F-35 program, either as participants or through military sales, are: the United States, Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, Denmark, Norway, Israel, Japan, Korea, Belgium, Poland, Singapore, Finland, Switzerland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. (AP)
Israel’s attack on Yemen on Shabbos was Israel’s first attack against the Houthis since the terror group launched 220 drones at Israel since October 7th and directly followed its first deadly drone strike of Tel Aviv that killed a man and wounded eight others. Israel has been preparing for months to retaliate against the Houthis in the case of any of their drones succeeding in penetrating Israel. The targets that Israel attacked in Yemen were selected months ago, during the early months of the war. About a month and a half ago, the Israeli Air Force carried out a training exercise for missions far from Israel’s border, in cooperation with the Greek army, Ynet reported. The exercise was carried out despite the ongoing war with Hamas and Hezbollah to prepare for a scenario in which the IDF was forced to operate in “third-circle” countries – that do not share a border with Israel. The operation began with the departure of a Nachshon aircraft and Unit 669 helicopters to the area, followed by dozens of F-15 heavy bombers, F-16s, stealth F-35 jets, and four Boeing 707 refueling planes. The aircraft flew at a low altitude over Yemen. A security source told Ynet: “A capability developed over years, equivalent to an attack of Iran’s easternmost and most distant point, was actualized in a daytime operation, and perhaps not for the last time. We insisted to our U.S. partners in the region that the IDF would carry out the operation alone, despite prior coordination.” The IDF released footage of the preparations for the attack: (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Greece Monday formally agreed to participate in and lead a European Union maritime security operation in the Red Sea to protect commercial shipping from attacks by Houthi militants in Yemen. A security committee headed by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis ordered the participation of a Greek frigate in the Aspides operation – named from the Greek word for “shield” – that was launched last week. The mission will be run from a military base in Larissa, in central Greece, under the command of Greek navy Cdre. Vasilios Griparis. Greece, a major commercial shipping power, has been directly affected by the Houthi attacks. The port of Piraeus, near Athens, reported a 12.7% drop in activity at its container terminal in January, on an annual basis. “We all understand that participation in this operation involves risks, significant risks,” Defense Minister Nikos Dendias said Monday while on a visit to the navy frigate Hydra at a naval base near Athens. “Greece, as a maritime power with a leading role in global shipping, attaches great importance to the need to safeguard the freedom of navigation, as well as the life of Greek seafarers,” he said. Germany, Italy and France will also provide warships for the mission, joining the Hydra, while Italy will assume tactical command, according to Greek officials. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius visited the German Navy frigate Hessen, that is taking part in Aspides, while on a trip to the Greek island of Crete last week. The vessel has since sailed southward to the Red Sea, German authorities said. Officials in Athens have described the Aspides mission as defensive, adding that Greece would not take part in U.S.-led attacks against Houthi military targets in Yemen. The Iranian-backed Houthis say their attacks on commercial ships with drones and missiles are a response to Israel’s offensive in Gaza against Hamas which began in October. At a parliamentary committee hearing last week, Dendias said keeping the lines of maritime trade open was an “existential necessity for Greece.” “We do not take a position on the Houthi issue,” Dendias told lawmakers at the hearing. “But we do challenge the right of anyone to fire at our ships, at European ships, and at ships that sail the region and come to our ports.” (AP)
The Biden administration has approved the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey following the Turkish government’s ratification this week of Sweden’s membership in NATO. The move is a significant development in the expansion of the alliance, which has taken on additional importance since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The State Department notified Congress of its approval of the $23 billion F-16 sale to Turkey, along with a companion $8.6 billion sale of advanced F-35 fighter jets to Greece, late Friday. The move came just hours after Turkey deposited its “instrument of ratification” for Sweden’s accession to NATO with Washington, which is the repository for alliance documents and after several key members of Congress lifted their objections. The sale to Turkey includes 40 new F-16s and equipment to modernize 79 of its existing F-16 fleet. The sale to Greece includes 40 F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters and related equipment. NATO ally Turkey has long sought to upgrade its F-16 fleet and had made its ratification of Sweden’s membership contingent on the approval of the sale of the new planes. The Biden administration had supported the sale, but several lawmakers had expressed objections due to human rights concerns. Those objections, including from the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sens. Ben Cardin, D-Md., and Jim Risch, R-Idaho, have now been overcome, officials said. Cardin said in statement Friday that he had still had concerns about Turkey’s rights record, but had agreed to the sale based on commitments Turkey has made to improve it. “I look forward to beginning this new chapter in our relationship with Turkey, expanding the NATO alliance, and working with our global allies in standing up to ongoing Russian aggression against its peaceful neighbors,” he said. Turkey had delayed its approval of Sweden’s NATO membership for more than a year, ostensibly because it believed Sweden did not take Turkey’s national security concerns seriously enough, including its fight against Kurdish militants and other groups that Ankara considers to be security threats. The delays had frustrated the U.S, and other NATO allies, almost all of whom had been swift to accept both Sweden and Finland into the alliance after the Nordic states dropped their longstanding military neutrality following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Sweden’s formal accession to NATO now depends on Hungary, which is the last remaining NATO ally not to have approved its membership. US and NATO officials have said they expect Hungary to act quickly, especially after Turkey’s decision. (AP)
The death toll from severe rainstorms and resulting floods in Greece, Turkey, and Bulgaria reached 14 on Wednesday, with the storms expected to continue until at least Thursday afternoon. The record rainfall in Greece left three people dead near the central city of Volos and in Karditsa. As of Wednesday, thousands of homes in central Greece remained without electricity and running water. Israel’s Kan News reporter Itzik Zuarets in Greece reported from Euboea, the second-largest Greek island, which has been hard hit by the storm. He said that hundreds of Israelis are trying to escape the area, encountering many difficulties due to collapsed bridges and roads. The severe conditions have led to shortages of food and water, and most Greeks and Israelis in the area lack electricity. Israeli Michal Shalem who is on a family vacation in the Pelion region of Greece told Channel 12 News that her family is stuck without electricity in an area where all the roads have been washed away. They’re also running out of food but local stores are closed. Another Israeli family said that they are stuck in a hotel with no place to buy food. Israeli Smadar Imor, told Kan: “There’s a lot of damage to roads and highways, and it’s impossible to travel by car. We are currently without electricity and water, so we went to the supermarket to buy some water bottles. But we don’t know how long the supply there will last.” She added that she and her family “have the feeling that everything that could have been destroyed was destroyed.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Greece is working with Israel on developing artificial intelligence technology that would help in early detection of dangerous wildfires, the Greek prime minister said Monday. After talks with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides in the Cypriot capital of Nicosia, Kyriakos Mitsotakis also said that Israel could be brought into the European Union fold when it comes to civil protection initiatives to better coordinate firefighting efforts. Israel and Cyprus are among several countries that have dispatched firefighting aircraft and crews to help battle wildfires in Greece that consumed vast tracts of forest over the last two months, including the EU’s largest such blaze on record that claimed the lives of 20 people. Mitsotakis said Greece could act as a proving ground for Israeli AI technology in early detection of wildfires. “We are already talking to Israel about AI-based solutions that will offer us early detection capabilities,” Said Mitsotakis. Netanyahu said the three leaders discussed “going well beyond” dispatching firefighting aircraft and crews by deploying AI systems for early detection. “This is really one of those areas where when we say we’ll do it better together, there’s no question that that’s the case,” Netanyahu said. The three leaders said they delved into how to harness recent natural gas discoveries in Israeli and Cypriot waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Netanyahu said decisions on how Israel and Cyprus will export natural gas to foreign markets will have to be made within the next three to six months. Israel and Cyprus are looking into plans for a pipeline that would convey offshore natural gas from both countries to the east Mediterranean island nation where it would be liquefied for export by ship. “We agreed that natural gas and renewable energy is a prime pillar of cooperation in the region, especially in light of the recent geopolitical developments and energy insecurity, especially in Europe, dictating the need for energy diversification and increase interconnectivity,” Christodoulides said. Another project the three leaders expressed keen interest on is an undersea electricity cable stretching 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles) that would link the power grids of Israel, Cyprus and mainland Greece. “That’s something that we’re eagerly interested in pursuing and we discussed … (including) the mechanism of how to advance this,” said Netanyahu. Energy has been the focus of a series of ongoing meetings between the three leaders to deepen their countries’ ties since 2016, which Mitsotakis said reflected their importance on the political, economic and other levels. (AP)
Firefighters on Tuesday found the burnt bodies of 18 people believed to have been migrants who had crossed the Turkish border into an area of northeastern Greece where wildfires have raged for days. The discovery near the city of Alexandroupolis came as hundreds of firefighters battled dozens of wildfires across the country amid gale-force winds. On Monday, two people died and two firefighters were injured in separate fires in northern and central Greece. With their hot, dry summers, southern European countries are particularly prone to wildfires. Another major blaze has been burning across Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands for a week, although no injuries or damage to homes was reported. European Union officials have blamed climate change for the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires in Europe, noting that 2022 was the second-worst year for wildfire damage on record after 2017. In Greece, police activated the country’s Disaster Victim Identification Team to identify the 18 bodies, which were found near a shack in the Avantas area, fire department spokesman Ioannis Artopios said. “Given that there have been no reports of a missing person or missing residents from the surrounding areas, the possibility is being investigated that these are people who had entered the country illegally,” Artopios said. Alexandroupolis is near the border with Turkey, along a route often taken by people fleeing poverty and conflict in the Middle East, Asia and Africa and seeking to enter the European Union. Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou expressed deep sorrow at the deaths. “We must urgently take effective initiatives to ensure that this bleak reality does not become the new normality,” she said in a statement. Avantas, like many nearby villages and settlements, had been under evacuation orders, with push alerts in Greek and English sent to all mobile phones in the region. Overnight, a massive wall of flames raced through forests toward Alexandroupolis, prompting authorities to evacuate eight more villages and the city’s hospital as flames reddened the sky. About 65 of the more than 100 patients in the hospital were transported to a ferry boat in the city’s port, while others were taken to other hospitals in northern Greece. Deputy Health Minister Dimitris Vartzopoulos, speaking on Greece’s Skai television, said smoke and ash in the air around the Alexandrouplolis hospital were the main reasons behind the decision to evacuate the facility. “We evacuated within four hours,” he said. The coast guard said patrol boats and private vessels evacuated an additional 40 people by sea from beaches near Alexandroupolis. In the northeastern Evros border region, a fire was burning through forest in a protected national park, with satellite imagery showing smoke blanketing much of northern and western Greece. New fires broke out in several parts of the country Tuesday, including in woodland northwest of Athens and an industrial area on the capital’s western fringes. Small explosions echoed from the industrial area of Aspropyrgos as flames reached warehouses and factories. Authorities shut down a highway and ordered the evacuation of nearby settlements. With firefighting forces stretched to the limit, Greece appealed for help from the European Union’s civil protection mechanism. Five water-dropping planes from Croatia, Germany and Sweden, and a helicopter, 58 firefighters and nine water tanks from the Czech Republic flew to Greece Tuesday, while 56 Romanian firefighters and two aircraft from Cyprus
Major wildfires were burning in Greece and in Spain’s Canary Islands on Monday, with hot, dry and windy conditions hampering the efforts of hundreds of firefighters battling the blazes. Two of the fires have been burning for several days. European Union officials have blamed climate change for the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires in Europe, noting that 2022 was the second-worst year for wildfire damage on record after 2017. In Greece, authorities said the body of a man was recovered from a sheep-pen in an area in the central Viotia region under evacuation as a wildfire approached. Local media reported the man apparently died of smoke inhalation while trying to save his livestock. Two firefighters were being treated in a hospital for injuries sustained in a separate fire in the northern Kavala region, the fire department said. Gale-force winds were fanning the flames of dozens of wildfires in several parts of the country, with the northeast particularly hard-hit. Evacuation orders were issued for villages in the northern regions of Alexandroupolis, Komotini, Kavala and Orestiada, the central region of Viotia and the island of Evia, while fire departments across the country were placed on general alert. The coast guard said 20 people were evacuated by private boats from a fire on the island of Kythnos, while patrol boats and private vessels were on standby for other potential evacuations from fire areas in Viotia and Evia. “The last 48 hours, unfortunately like the next 48 hours, are proving exceptionally critical due to the strong winds and high temperatures that are creating extensive fire fronts,” said Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Vasilis Kikilias. Since midnight, 53 fires had broken out across the country, including 14 in the northeastern Evros border region alone, he added. The government held an emergency meeting with the heads of the fire department, police, coast guard, armed forces and intelligence services. Authorities banned public access to mountains and forests in several regions until Wednesday morning, and ordered military patrols. The largest active wildfire was ravaging forests and farmland for a third day near the northeastern town of Alexandroupolis, where 13 villages were evacuated and several homes were destroyed over the weekend. More than 200 firefighters, assisted by 17 water-dropping aircraft, volunteers and the armed forces were battling the fire, said Deputy Fire Chief Ioannis Artopios, a spokesman for the national fire service. Residents in Alexandroupolis were advised to keep their windows shut due to the smoke. Fifty-six firefighters from Romania and two water-dropping aircraft from Cyprus were heading to Alexandroupolis, while 19 French firefighters were helping tackle the Evia fire. Greece suffers destructive wildfires every summer, which officials say have been exacerbated by climate change. Greece’s deadliest wildfire killed 104 people in 2018, in a seaside resort near Athens that residents had not been warned to evacuate. Authorities have since erred on the side of caution, issuing swift mass evacuation orders whenever inhabited areas are under threat. Last month, a wildfire on the resort island of Rhodes forced the evacuation of some 20,000 tourists. Days later, two air force pilots were killed when their water-dropping plane crashed while diving low to tackle a blaze on Evia. Another three wildfire-related deaths have been recorded this summer. In Spain’s Canary Islands off the coast of West Africa, a wildfire
A firefighting plane crashed in southern Greece on Tuesday as authorities battled fires across the country amid a return of heat wave temperatures. The crash occurred on the island of Evia and was aired in a state television broadcast that showed the low-flying aircraft disappearing into a canyon before a fireball was seen moments later. There was no immediate information about the plane’s crew. A third successive heat wave in Greece pushed temperatures back above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) across parts of the country Tuesday following more nighttime evacuations from fires that have raged out of control for days. The latest evacuation orders were issued on the islands of Corfu and Evia, while a blaze on the island of Rhodes continued to move inland, torching mountainous forest areas, including a part of a nature reserve. Desperate residents, many with wet towels around their necks to stave off the scorching heat, used shovels to beat back flames approaching their homes, while firefighting planes and helicopters resumed water drops at first light. “For the twelfth day, under extreme conditions of heat and strong winds, we are fighting nonstop on dozens of forest fire fronts. … The Greek Fire Service has battled more than 500 fires — more than 50 a day,” said Vassilis Kikilias, the minister for climate crisis and civil protection. Authorities said that more than 20,000 people have been involved in successive evacuations on the island, mostly tourists over the weekend when fires swept through two coastal areas in the southeast of Rhodes. Among them was Serbian basketball star Philip Petrusev, a played for the Philadelphia 76ers who was vacationing on Rhodes with his partner Tiana Sumakovic. In a series of online posts, Sumakovic described frantic scenes as she and Petrusev escaped the fire. “The fire got got very close and we had to run,” Sumakovic wrote, captioning videos of the fire. “We were choking on the smoke and ran as far as we could … we eventually made it to safety.” The European Union has sent 500 firefighters, 100 vehicles and seven planes from 10 member states, while Turkey, Israel, Egypt and other countries have also sent help. Contributing nations included Italy which was dealing with its own fires and extreme weather at home. On the island of Sicily, Palermo’s international airport temporarily shut down as flames from a wildfire approached. But in Italy’s northern Lombardy region, a powerful storm caused flooding, power outages and was blamed for the death of a 16-year-old girl at a scouts’ camp. In Athens, authorities resumed afternoon closing hours at the ancient Acropolis, as part of broader measures to cope with the high heat. EU officials have blamed climate change for the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires across the European continent, noting that 2022 was the second-worst year for wildfire damage on record after 2017. (AP)
A week-old wildfire on the Greek resort island of Rhodes tore past defenses Monday, forcing more evacuations as strong winds and successive heat waves that left scrubland and forests tinder-dry fueled three major fires raging elsewhere in Greece. The latest evacuations were ordered in south Rhodes after 19,000 people, mostly tourists, were moved in buses and boats over the weekend out of the path of the fire that reached several coastal areas from nearby mountains. It was the country’s biggest evacuation effort in recent years. “We are at war -– completely focused on the fires,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said during a debate in parliament. “Over the coming days and weeks, we must remain on constant alert.” Help continued to arrive from the European Union and elsewhere, with firefighting planes from neighboring Turkey joining the effort on Rhodes, where 10 water-dropping planes and 10 helicopters buzzed over flames up to 5 meters (16 feet) tall despite low visibility. Temperatures reached the low 40s Celsius (above 104 degrees Fahrenheit) in parts of the Greek mainland Monday, a day after soaring as high as 45 degrees (113 degrees Fahrenheit). Ian Murison, a businessman from London on vacation in southern Rhodes with his wife and 12-year-old son, described his family’s ordeal as they tried to escape the fires on Saturday. “We saw flames coming over the hills. Our hotel had capacity for 1,200 (people), but there was just one coach waiting,” he said. “We all just took our cases and started walking. It was about 3 kilometers (nearly 2 miles) before we got out from underneath the ash cloud.” The family reached a nearby beach, where they waited — in the dark due to a power blackout — with thousands of others to be evacuated by bus or boat. “You could see an orange glow in the sky and it got more and more, big balls of fire going into the sky,” Murison said, describing chaotic scenes as evacuees crowded to board small boats arriving to take them away. “It didn’t matter if you had children, adults were fighting to get on next,” he said. “It was very, very stressful.” Near the seaside resort of Lindos, AP reporters saw hotel employees and guests, joined by local residents and firefighters, use fire extinguishers, towels and buckets of pool water to put out a small brush fire that broke out in the area. Evacuations were also ordered overnight on the western island of Corfu, where more than 2,000 people were moved to safety by land and sea, as well as on the island of Evia and in a mountainous area in the southern Peloponnese region. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted that she contacted the prime minister late Sunday to offer additional assistance as Greece “is confronted with devastating forest fires and a heavy heat wave due to climate change.” Addressing parliament. Mitsotakis also highlighted the threat from climate change, which he said “will make its presence ever more felt with greater natural disasters throughout the Mediterranean region.” In Greece, an average of 50 new wildfires have broken out daily for the past 12 days, according to government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis. On Sunday, 64 new blazes were recorded. The Rhodes fire roared down mountain slopes, burning homes and cars and leaving livestock dead
Firefighting aircraft and ground crews from other countries headed to Greece on Thursday to help battle wildfires that have intensified as a heat wave baked much of southern Europe in temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). New evacuations were ordered Wednesday as wildfires raged near Athens. In a round-the-clock battle to preserve forests, industrial facilities and vacation homes, evacuations continued for a third day Thursday along a highway connecting the capital to the southern city of Corinth. In the small town of Mandra, located 25 kilometers west of Athens, resident Varvara Paraskevopoulou said the flames reached her doorstep before the Fire Service personnel did. She described fleeing the fire on Tuesday and then returning to help a group of residents trying to protect their properties themselves. “We extinguished what we could by ourselves and managed to save some homes. As you’ll see further up, three or four houses – residences and storage spaces – were burnt completely,” Paraskevopoulou said. Firefighting teams from Poland, Romania and Slovakia were due in Greece on Thursday, and Israel pledged to send two firefighting planes, adding to the four from Italy and France that were already operating outside Athens. Southern Europe’s second heat wave in as many weeks has brought extreme temperatures to Mediterranean countries. Temperatures in southern Greece were expected to reach 44 C (111 F) by the end of the week. Alessandro Miani, president of the Italian Society of Environmental Doctors, warned that the aging populations in Italy and other countries are a concern because heat-related deaths most commonly happen in people over age 80. “The excessive heat together with humidity can make difficult for sweat to evaporate, interfering with the body’s ability to regulate its own temperature,” Miani said. The heat in Rome eased only slightly after a sweltering 42-43 C (107-109 F) on Tuesday, while highs in Sicily and Sardinia reached 46 C (114 F). Parts of Spain were as high as 45 C (113 F) on Wednesday. Amador Cortes, a resident in the southern Spanish city of Jaen, said people were doing their best to avoid the sun during midday hours and the early afternoon. “The truth is, they take shelter at home with the air conditioning, with the fan. In the street, the elderly suffer a lot. Anyway, we have to put up with it,” he said. In the southern Turkish city of Adana, a group of residents handed out desserts in the street, and many paid tribute to the late U.S. engineer Willis Carrier, who invented the air conditioner in 1902. “The people of Adana really need air conditioners. God bless him for making such an invention,” city resident Mehmet Saygin told Turkey’s DHA news agency. The latest heat wave added to concerns about climate change. The World Meteorological Organization, a United Nations body, said preliminary global figures showed last month was the hottest June on record. “The extreme weather, an increasingly frequent occurrence in our warming climate, is having a major impact on human health, ecosystems, economies, agriculture, energy and water supplies,” WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said Wednesday. “This underlines the increasing urgency of cutting greenhouse gas emissions as quickly and as deeply as possible.” The firefighters were being sent to Greece as part of a European Union civil protection mechanism that includes the planned
A fishing boat carrying migrants trying to reach Europe capsized and sank off Greece on Wednesday, authorities said, leaving at least 79 dead and many more missing in one of the worst disasters of its kind this year. Coast guard, navy and merchant vessels and aircraft fanned out for a vast search-and-rescue operation set to continue overnight. It was unclear how many passengers might still be in the water or trapped in the vessel, but some initial reports suggested hundreds of people may have been on board. Authorities said 104 people have been rescued so far after the boat sank overnight in international waters some 75 kilometers (45 miles) southwest of Greece’s southern Peloponnese peninsula. The spot is close to the deepest area of the Mediterranean Sea — and such depths could hamper any effort to locate a sunken metal vessel. Twenty-five survivors were hospitalized with symptoms of hypothermia. At the southern port of Kalamata, around 70 exhausted survivors bedded down in sleeping bags and blankets provided by rescuers in a large warehouse, while outside paramedics set up tents for anyone who needed first aid. Katerina Tsata, head of a Red Cross volunteer group in Kalamata, said the migrants were also given psychological support. “They suffered a very heavy blow, both physical and mental,” she said. The Greek coast guard said 79 bodies have been recovered so far. It said the survivors included 30 people from Egypt, 10 from Pakistan, 35 from Syria and 2 Palestinians. The Italy-bound boat is believed to have sailed from the Tobruk area in eastern Libya. That country plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime autocrat Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. Human traffickers have benefited from the ensuing instability, and made Libya one of the main departure points for people attempting to reach Europe on smuggler’s boats. The migration route from North Africa to Italy through the central Mediterranean is the deadliest in the world, according to the United Nations migration agency, known as IOM, which has recorded more than 17,000 deaths and disappearances there since 2014. Smugglers use unseaworthy boats with as many migrants as possible crammed in — sometimes inside locked holds — for journeys that can take days. They head for Italy, which is directly across the Mediterranean from Libya and Tunisia, and much closer than Greece to the Western European countries that most migrants hope to eventually reach. In February, at least 94 people died when a wooden boat from Turkey sank off Cutro, in southern Italy, in the worst Mediterranean sinking so far this year. The Italian coast guard first alerted Greek authorities and the European Union border protection agency, Frontex, about an approaching vessel on Tuesday. The IOM said initial reports suggested up to 400 people were on board. A network of activists said it received a distress call from a boat in the same area whose passengers said it carried 750 people — but it was not clear if that was the vessel that sank. After that first alert, Frontex aircraft and two merchant ships spotted the boat heading north at high speed, according to the Greek coast guard. More aircraft and ships were sent to the area. But repeated calls to the vessel offering help were declined, the coast guard said in a
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu late Tuesday said his country’s intelligence agency Mossad helped Greece prevent a terrorist attack planned against a Chabad House in Athens. Greek authorities said earlier that two men described as being of Pakistani origin, who were not named, had been arrested for allegedly planning an attack on the Chabad House and restaurant. The attack was considered to be imminent and intended to incur a heavy loss of lives. The suspects were charged Tuesday with terrorism offenses, while a third man believed to be outside Greece has been charged in absentia with similar offenses. A statement from Netanyahu’s office maintained that the attackers were linked to Iran. “After the start of the investigation of the suspects in Greece, the Mossad rendered intelligence assistance in unraveling the infrastructure, its work methods and the link to Iran,” the statement said. “The investigation revealed that the infrastructure that operated in Greece is part of an extensive Iranian network run from Iran and spanning many countries.” Greek authorities have not identified the foreign intelligence agency that provided assistance in the investigation, but said they were investigating the possibility that the suspects were also planning other attacks in Greece. “Their aim was not only to cause the loss of life of innocent citizens, but also to undermine the sense of security in the country, while hurting public institutions and threatening (Greece’s) international relations,” a police statement said. The two suspects both entered Greece illegally from neighboring Turkey and had been in the country for at least four months, according to two Greek officials who spoke to the Associated Press. As part of their investigation, police searched multiple sites in Athens as well as in southern Greece and on the western island of Zakynthos. The two men in custody are believed to be part of an overseas network and are scheduled to be questioned by a public prosecutor Friday, the officials said. Greece’s anti-terrorism police division and National Intelligence Service were involved in the arrests. “The operation demonstrates that the country’s security authorities maintain a high state of readiness for all Greeks and all visitors to our country,” Public Order Minister Takis Theodorikakos said in a tweet. (AP)
A passenger train in Greece carrying hundreds of people collided with an oncoming freight train in a fiery wreck in the country’s north early Wednesday, killing 36 and injuring at least 85, officials said. Multiple cars derailed and at least three burst into flames after the collision near Tempe, a small town next to a valley where major highway and rail tunnels are located, some 380 kilometers (235 miles) north of Athens. Hospital officials in the nearby city of Larissa said at least 25 people had serious injuries. “The evacuation process is ongoing and is being carried out under very difficult conditions due to the severity of the collision between the two trains,” said Vassilis Varthakoyiannis, a spokesman for Greece’s firefighting service. Survivors said several passengers were thrown through the windows of the train cars due to the impact. They said others fought to free themselves after the passenger train buckled, slamming into a field next to the tracks. Rescuers wearing head lamps worked in thick smoke, pulling pieces of mangled metal from the cars to search for trapped people. Others scoured the field with flashlights and checked underneath the wreckage. Passengers who received minor injuries or were unharmed were transported by bus to Thessaloniki, 130 kilometers (80 miles) to the north. Police took their names as they arrived, in an effort to track anyone who may be missing. A teenage survivor who did not give his name told Greek reporters as he got off one of the buses that just before the crash, he felt a strong braking and saw sparks and then there was a sudden stop. “Our carriage didn’t derail, but the ones in front did and were smashed,” he said, visibly shaken. He added that the first car caught fire and that he used a bag to break the window of his car, the fourth, and escape. Rail operator Hellenic Train said the northbound passenger train from Athens to Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city, had about 350 passengers on board. In comments to state television, Costas Agorastos, the regional governor of the Thessaly area, described the collision as “very powerful” and said it was “a terrible night.” “The front section of the train was smashed. … We’re getting cranes to come in and special lifting equipment clear the debris and lift the rail cars. There’s debris flung all around the crash site.” Officials said the army had been contacted to assist. Hellenic Train is operated by Italy’s FS Group, which runs rail services in several European countries. (AP)
Moses Elisaf, z’l, the first Jewish mayor in Greek history, passed away on Friday at the age of 68 after a brief bout with cancer. Elisaf, a physician and professor of internal medicine by profession, ran as an independent in the 2019 Ioannina municipal elections and defeated the incumbent, in his first foray in politics. He served in the position until his death. During Elisaf’s election campaign, his political opponents claimed that he was a Mossad agent. Elisaf, who often visited relatives in Israel and worked at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University in 1993-94, said at the time that the claim was antisemitic but did not believe that antisemitism, in general, was a serious issue in Greece. Prior to being elected as mayor, Elisaf served on the city council, was the president of the Romaniote Jewish community of Ioannina for over ten years, and had previously served as the president of the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece. Elisaf was born in Ioannina in 1954 to parents who were among the 69 Jews who escaped the Nazi roundup of the city’s Jews and deportation to Auschwitz in 1944. There were about 2,000 Jews in Ioannina prior to the start of World War II but only 112 Jews returned from the death camps. Today, only about 50 Jews live in the city. Elisaf graduated from the University of Athens in 1979 and later earned a medical degree at Ioannina Medical School. He worked as a pathologist and professor of internal medicine at Ioannina Medical School. He later became the director of the school’s Lipids, Atherosclerosis, Obesity, and Diabetes Department and became the head of the pathology clinic at Ioannina General Hospital. Elisaf was also vice-president of the Board of Directors of the Study, Research, and Education Institute for Diabetes Mellitus and Metabolic Diseases and vice-president of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Society of Pathology of Northwest Greece. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Greece on Friday launched operations at a new international pilot training center created in partnership with Israel, as it tries to build on its relative air power advantage over regional rival Turkey. Israeli defense contractor Elbit, which finalized a $1.65 billion deal with Greece’s government, assisted by Israel, last year, will help run the facility located on an air force base outside the southern Greek city of Kalamata. Greece is undertaking an armed forces modernization program largely focused on its air force, as it hopes to outpace Turkey. Athens is acquiring advanced French-built Rafale jets, upgrading its aging fleet of F-16 fighter jets and wants to join the United States’ F-35 jet program. Turkey was dropped from the F-35 program after its purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system. NATO members Greece and Turkey remain at odds over sea boundaries and the military presence on eastern Greek islands that Ankara maintains violates international treaties. The new training center started operating Friday with 14 of an expected 25 T-6 single-engine turboprop aircraft. The fleet is set to expand next year with the delivery of 19 Italian-built M-346 training jets equipped with embedded virtual avionics that simulate combat and and flight scenarios. While the flight school officially opened Friday it will not be fully operational until early 2024, Elbit officials said. Major Gen. Georgios Vagenas, commander of the Greek Air Force Training Command, said the T-6 aircraft would provide 7,000 flight training hours annually, while the M-346 jets would provide 3,500 hours. “These facilities will prepare fighter squadrons for the generation of fighter aircraft that the air force recently acquired,” Vagenas said. “It will be the main mechanism to counter threats … coming from our neighbor to the east.” (AP)
An Antonov cargo plane operated by a Ukrainian airline crashed Saturday near the city of Kavala in northern Greece, authorities said. Local residents reported seeing a fireball and hearing explosions for two hours after the crash. Greek Civil Aviation authorities said the flight was heading from Serbia to Jordan. The An-12, a Soviet-built turboprop aircraft, was operated by cargo carrier Meridian. Greek media reported there were eight people on the plane and that it was carrying 12 tons of “dangerous materials,” mostly explosives. But local officials said they had no specific information on the cargo and provided varying numbers of people on board. As a precaution because of a strong smell emanating from the crash site, a coordinating committee made up of municipal, police and fire service officials told inhabitants of the two localities closest to the crash site to keep their windows shut all night, to not leave their homes and to wear masks. Authorities say they do not know if there were dangerous chemicals on the plane, including those contained in batteries. Greece’s Civil Aviation authority said the pilot managed to alert authorities about a problem in one of the plane’s engines and he was given the choice of landing in either the Thessaloniki or Kavala airports, and he opted for Kavala, which was closer, saying that he had to make an emergency landing. Communication with the plane ceased almost immediately afterwards. The plane crashed about 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of the airport. “We were hearing explosions until a few minutes ago,” Filippos Anastassiadis, mayor of the municipality of Paggaio, told the Associated Press a little over an hour after the accident. “I am about 300 meters from the site of the crash.” One of Anastassiadis’ deputies told state broadcaster ERT that explosions were heard for two hours following the crash. Locals reported seeing a fireball and a plume of smoke before the crash. ERT reported that army and explosive experts were en route to the site, located on farmland close to two villages that are part of the Paggaio municipality. But they are not expected to start working before dawn. Experts from Greece’s Atomic Energy Commission will join them. The fire service has cordoned off the area at a radius of about 400 meters. The cordoned-off area will be expanded at dawn, fire service officials said. (AP)
The Greek Supreme Court outlawed shechita on Wednesday, a move predicted by Jewish leaders following the ruling of the European Union’s court last year upholding similar bans. Last December, the European Court of Justice ruled that member countries are permitted to ban shechita for the sake of animal welfare without infringing on the rights of religious groups. The Greek ruling was in response to a petition filed by the Panhellenic Animal Welfare and Environmental Federation. “We warned in December about the downstream consequences that the European Court of Justice ruling carried with it, and now we see the outcome,” said Rabbi Menachem Margolin, chairman of the European Jewish Association, which is based in Brussels. “Jewish freedom of religion is under direct attack. It started in Belgium, moved to Poland and Cyprus and now it is Greece’s turn.” “These direct attacks are coming from many of the same governments and institutions who have sworn to protect their Jewish Communities. What we are witnessing is rank hypocrisy. When it comes to antisemitism, governments and institutions rightly stand behind us. But when our faith and practice is assailed left and right by laws, they are nowhere to be seen, nowhere to be found. What use is it to protect Jews while legislating fundamental pillars of our religion out of existence?” “We will be urgently making representations to the highest levels of the Greek government to get direct answers to this simple but fundamental question: How can there be Jews in Europe if you keep bringing laws against us?” In the opinion of the Greek court, “there should be ways” to satisfy animal rights activists and the religious needs of Jews and Muslims. “The government should regulate the issue of slaughtering animals in the context of worship in such a way as to ensure both the protection of animals from any inconvenience during slaughter and the religious freedom of religious Muslims and Jews living in Greece,” the court stated. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Firefighters and residents battled a massive forest fire on Greece’s second largest island for a seventh day Monday, fighting to save what they can from flames that have decimated vast tracts of pristine forest, destroyed homes and businesses and sent thousands fleeing. The smoke and ash from the fire on Evia, a rugged island of forests and coves almost touching the Greek mainland, blocked out the sun, turning the sky orange as the blaze rampaged across the northern part of the island. The fire, which began Aug. 3, is the most severe of dozens that have broken out across Greece in the past week, after the country was baked by its worst heat wave in three decades which sent temperatures soaring to 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) for days. The heat, coming during a particularly hot summer, has turned Greece’s forests, including large areas of easily flammable pine trees, into bone-dry tinderboxes. Other big fires have been burning forests and farmland in the southern Greek region of the Peloponnese, while a major blaze that encroached into the northern suburbs of Athens and Mount Parnitha national park on the fringes of the capital was on the wane. Firefighting efforts continued in Parnitha, where French, Israeli and Cypriot firefighters were helping their Greek colleagues. The wildfires have stretched Greece’s firefighting capabilities to the limit, and the government has appealed for help from abroad. More than 20 countries in Europe and the Middle East have responded, sending planes, helicopters, vehicles and manpower. Greece’s foreign minister, Nikos Dendias, tweeted Monday he had spoken to his Russian counterpart and asked whether Russia could send a second Beriev Be-200 firefighting plane to Greece. So far Greece has leased one such aircraft, the largest operating in the Greek fires. Despite the help, many residents and local officials have complained of a lack of firefighters, and some have taken to calling in to Greek television networks to appeal for help, particularly from water-dropping planes and helicopters. “We were completely forsaken. There were no fire brigades, there were no vehicles, nothing!” David Angelou, who had been on Evia in the seaside village of Pefki, said Sunday night after leaving the island by ferry to the mainland harbor of Arkitsa. “You could feel the enormous heat, there was also a lot of smoke. You could see the sun, a red ball, and then, nothing else around,” he said. Greek authorities, scarred by a deadly wildfire in 2018 near Athens that killed more than 100 people, have emphasized saving lives in their firefighting efforts, sending dozens of evacuation orders for inhabited areas and organizing flotillas of coast guard and navy vessels, ferries and other boats to evacuate people from coastal areas when necessary. The coast guard said a total of 2,770 people had been evacuated by sea from fires across the country between July 31 and Aug. 8. Some of those who died in the 2018 fire in Mati drowned trying to escape by sea after they became trapped on the beach. But some people, including local officials in affected areas, have argued the evacuation orders have come too soon, saying residents could provide valuable help to stretched firefighting resources in saving villages. On Monday, the flames continued across northern Evia, threatening yet more villages. Satellite imagery from the European Union’s
Greece on Monday lifted quarantine restrictions for travelers from most European countries, as well as Israel and the United States as it prepares to reopen tourism services next month despite an ongoing emergency in pandemic-related hospital care. Air travelers from those countries will no longer be subject to a seven-day quarantine requirement if they hold a vaccination certificate or negative PCR test issued within the previous 72 hours, the Greek Civil Aviation Authority said. The countries made exempt are EU member states, the U.S., Britain, the United Arab Emirates, Serbia, Israel, and non-EU members Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland that are part of a European travel pact. Government spokeswoman Aristotelia Peloni described the new travel rules as a “pilot measure” as Greece reopens more of its economy, noting that tourists are also subject to domestic travel restrictions. Greece remains under partial lockdown after widespread restrictions were imposed in early November, but has struggled to contain an urban spike in infections that have kept intensive care facilities close to capacity. (AP)
The Israeli military said Friday that it has conducted a joint naval exercise with Greece and Cyprus, in the latest sign of increased cooperation among three countries that increasingly view Turkey as a rival in the Mediterranean Sea. It said the “Noble Dina” exercise, which was led by Israel and also included France, covered “anti-submarine procedures, search and rescue scenarios, and a scenario simulating battle between ships.” The exercise was concluded on Thursday. “Over the past week, the Navy led a large-scale exercise in which it implemented capabilities in underwater warfare, search and rescue, convoy escort and surface combat,” Rear Admiral Eyal Harel, the head of Israeli naval operations, said. “These exercises are of paramount importance in strengthening the Navy’s connection with foreign fleets who share common interests,” he added. Israel, Greece and Cyprus have taken a number of steps in recent months to cement ties, including advancing plans to build a 2,000 megawatt undersea electricity cable and a 1,900-kilometer (1,300-mile) undersea gas pipeline. The three countries’ defense ministers met in November and agreed to increase military cooperation. Greece and Cyprus are embroiled in a dispute with Turkey, which has sent gas prospecting vessels into waters claimed by Greece and drilling ships into an area where Cyprus claims exclusive rights. The tension brought NATO allies Greece and Turkey close to open conflict last year, but tensions have eased since then. Israel and Turkey were once close allies but had a major falling-out in 2010, when 10 Turkish citizens were killed by Israeli forces as a Turkish-led flotilla tried to break Israel’s blockade on the Gaza Strip. The two countries agreed to a U.S.-brokered reconciliation agreement in 2016, but ties broke down two years later over a U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan portrays himself as a champion of the Palestinian cause and has provided political support to Hamas, the Islamic militant group that seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007. A number of Hamas leaders are based in Turkey, and Erdogan met with the group’s top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in December 2019. Israel and Western countries view Hamas as a terrorist group. Turkey considers it a legitimate political actor because it won Palestinian parliamentary elections in 2006, and denies providing any aid to the group’s armed wing. (AP)
Plans to connect Israel, Cyprus and Greece with a 2,000 megawatt undersea electricity cable took a key step forward on Monday, when the three countries signed an agreement to speed up technical work on the project. Cypriot Energy Minister Natasa Pilides hosted a ceremony in the capital Nicosia on Monday with her Israeli counterpart Yuval Steinitz and Greek Minister Kostas Krekas participating via online link. Pilides said that with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, the three ministers agreed on the need to expedite permits and approvals to conduct feasibility studies and to coordinate with their respective national electricity regulators on how best to proceed. "EuroAsia interconnector will help build on more options for renewable #energy, contribute to energy security & in reducing energy prices” – Energy Min @steinitz_yuval during signing ceremony of #Cyprus🇨🇾 #Israel🇮🇱 #Greece🇬🇷 MoU on EuroAsia Interconnector in #Nicosia pic.twitter.com/BHTrWL593W — Israel in Cyprus (@IsraelinCyprus) March 8, 2021 Pilides said the deal boosts cooperation “in supporting the planning, potential development and implementation of the EuroAsia Interconnector, as an additional element of the emerging Eastern Mediterranean Energy Corridor.” Pilides called the project a “cornerstone” of the countries’ efforts to transition to a green economy that will protect the environment while promoting economic growth. She said the cable will help the three countries meet their commitments under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, which aims to limit carbon emissions, while helping to diversify the energy supply of fossil fuel-dependent Cyprus. The project’s first phase is expected to be operational by 2025. The European Union’s executive Commission has said the cable is a “key project of common interest” that makes it eligible for EU financing. Pilides said some of the project’s additional benefits include enhancing energy supply security and allowing the three countries to be potential energy exporters. Cyprus is working on a separate deal with Greece and Egypt on a similar cable connecting the three countries. Israel, Cyprus and Greece have also teamed up for a planned $6 billion undersea pipeline to carry gas from new offshore deposits in the southeastern Mediterranean to continental Europe. (AP)
A high-level Greek delegation led by the Greek prime minister, foreign minister and tourism minister arrived in Israel on Monday and signed a deal creating a travel corridor for vaccinated tourists between the two countries. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and the two leaders subsequently announced they had signed a “green passport” travel agreement at a joint press conference. Netanyahu said that the agreement allows tourism “without any limitations, no self-isolation, nothing.” Israel is also in discussions with the UK and Estonia on establishing a travel corridor between their countries for vaccinated tourists, Army Radio reported on Monday. Another report by Ynet said that Israel is also in similar discussions with Romania, Serbia, Cyprus, Georgia and Seychelles. It was also announced during the press conference that Greece’s largest hospital will participate in the trials of the new Israeli “miracle drug” EXO-CD24, which was remarkably successful in curing seriously ill coronavirus patients in phase I clinical trials conducted at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv. Netanyahu said that one of the first questions Mitsotakis asked him during their meeting was whether Greece could take part in the drug’s clinical trials. The Israeli prime minister met with the drug developer, Prof. Nadir Arber, earlier on Monday. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Thessaloniki resident Zana Santicario-Satsolgou, a 98-year-old survivor of Auschwitz, was the first nursing home resident of the northern port city to be vaccinated for the coronavirus last week, Greek media reported. Santicario-Satsoglou, who has resided at Thessaloniki’s Jewish Saul Modiano Old Age Home since her husband’s death over ten years ago, was one of the few Greek Jews to survive the Holocaust. She was deported to Auschwitz at the age of 18 and by the time the war was over she was the only member of her family still alive. Unlike most Greek Jews, Santicario-Satsolgou eventually returned to Greece, settling in her home city of Thessaloniki. Prior to World War II, Thessaloniki, formerly known as Salonika, was home to two-thirds of Greek Jews, mostly descendants of Jews expelled from Spain in 1492, and was dubbed the “Jerusalem of the Balkans.” But following the Nazi invasion of Greece in 1941, the persecution of the country’s Jews began and in 1943, about 54,000 of Thessaloniki’s Jews were deported to concentration camps, mainly to Auschwitz. By the war’s end, about 59,000 Greeks Jews had been murdered, including over 90% of Thessaloniki’s Jewish population. Abut 83% of Greece’s total Jewish population was killed – one of the highest percentages in Europe. Today, only 1200 Jews live in Thessaloniki. The CEO of Pfizer, Albert Bourla, was born and raised in Thessaloniki and his parents, like Santicario-Satsolgou, were also survivors of Auschwitz. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Israel stated on Thursday that it will soon designate Greece as a “red country,” which means that any Israelis returning from there will have to enter quarantine for two weeks. Greece is currently the only country where Israelis can both visit and return from without being required to quarantine. However, Israelis will have to stop traveling to Greece in any event since Greece’s prime minister on Thursday announced a nationwide three-week lockdown starting Saturday, saying that the increase in coronavirus infections must be stopped before the country’s health care system comes under “unbearable” pressure. The announcement apparently also means that thousands of Israelis vacationing in Greece will try to rush back to Israel before the lockdown goes into effect. The main difference between this lockdown and the one Greece imposed in the spring is that kindergartens and primary schools will remain open. High schools will operate by remote learning. The lockdown goes until Nov. 30. Residents will only be able to leave their homes for specific reasons such as work, medical appointments or exercise, and after informing authorities by text message. Retail businesses will be shut down but not supermarkets and food stores. Restaurants will operate on a delivery-only basis. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he “chose once again to take drastic measures sooner rather than later” after seeing an “aggressive increase in cases” over the last five days. On Wednesday, Greece announced a record 18 daily deaths and 2,646 new cases, bringing the total confirmed cases to just under 47,000 and the deaths to 673. Thousands of Israelis vacationing in Greece were stranded on Monday after the Greek government announced that it was closing the airport in the city of Thessaloniki as part of a general lockdown in northern Greece in the wake of a surge in the infection rate. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem & AP)
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