Israel

After the poor tourist season last year caused by the pandemic, some Balkan countries are hoping to lure tourists from Israel, which has vaccinated much of its population, by recognising its so called "Green Pass" for fully vaccinated people.

More than half of all Israelis have now received both COVID-19 jabs, making the country a world beater in vaccination.

Turkey on March 14 condemned the decision by the Balkan state of Kosovo to open an embassy to Israel in the flashpoint city of Jerusalem.

Opening the embassy was an extremely "unfortunate" decision taken by the leaders of a people who endured great suffering to gain their independence, said a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement.

Half a year after the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain established diplomatic relations with Israel, discreet Jewish communities in the Gulf Arab states that once lived in the shadow of the Arab-Israeli conflict are adopting a more public profile.

Tel Aviv-Yafo will be the first city worldwide to roll out the technology for charging buses on a wide scale

At the Prime Minister's Office and the Foreign and Defense ministries, top officials are engaged in a two-pronged sustained effort to expand Greece's alliances in the wider region and upgrade its defense capabilities.

In these efforts, and especially on defense, Israel is emerging as a pivotal ally, high-ranked sources in government tell Kathimerini.

A Polish court on Feb. 9 ordered two leading Holocaust historians to apologize to the descendant of a village mayor they said may have been implicated in a massacre of Jews.

But Warsaw judge Ewa Konczyk said Barbara Engelking, chair of Poland's International Auschwitz Council, and Jan Grabowski from the University of Ottawa will not have to pay a fine.

Israel's ambassador to Greece, Yossi Amrani insists that relations between the two countries have not yet developed to their full potential. 

In an interview with Kathimerini, Amrani hailed the progress made in recent years by the two countries which, along with Cyprus, forged strong ties across the board, from research, fire fighting and culture, to tourism and defense.

Turkey on Jan. 12 expressed concern over Israel's plans to build new illegal settlements in Palestine's occupied West Bank.

"The move is the latest example of the illegitimate practices of Israel that it accelerated before the new administration takes office in the US," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a written statement.

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Tuesday hailed a $1.68 billion defense agreement with Greece as a reflection of "excellent and developing relations" between the two countries.

The 19-year-old model is from Israel