AIPAC heads to Greece

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee sent its first official delegation to Greece. AIPAC leaders, including President Howard Friedman, and some 50 U.S. Jewish businessmen are on a cruise of the Mediterranean commemorating 60 years since the voyage of the refugee ship “Exodus.” The leaders arrived Thursday in Athens and left for the Greek islands of Delos and Rhodes. From there they will sail to Cyprus before ending the voyage in Haifa. In Athens they had lunch with Deputy Foreign Minister Theodoros Kassimis. In the evening AIPAC gave a dinner that was attended by Greek ministers and businessmen, as well as the president of the Greek Israel Chamber of Commerce. Members of KIS, the Greek Jewish umbrella organization, participated in both events. In a previous post, Kassimis orchestrated Greece’s diplomatic recognition of the State of Israel. Kassimis told JTA that the discussion with AIPAC focused on “economic investments and tourism programs that will include Americans visiting Greece and Israel.”