Greek PM visits Israel for talks over economic ties, West Bank annexation

JERUSALEM - Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis arrived in Israel on Tuesday morning for a two-day visit over economic ties between the two countries and the Israeli planned annexation of the West Bank lands.

It is the first time that a foreign prime minister visits Israel since the beginning of the coronavirus lockdown in March.

Mitsotakis is leading a delegation of senior officials, including six ministers and deputy ministers, and will hold government-to-government talks over the renewal of Israeli tourism to Greece, energy, and bilateral cooperation, according to Israeli officials.

The Greek prime minister is scheduled to hold two meetings with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, according to the Israeli prime minister's office.

The Hebrew-language Ha'aretz newspaper reported that Netanyahu is expected to ask Mitsotakis to soften the EU's reaction to his plan to annex the Jordan Valley, a portion of the West Bank that Israel seized in the 1967 Middle East war.

Netanyahu's controversial plan was condemned by the Palestinians, most of the Arab world, and Israel's European allies.