The Greek island affair ( he, פרשת האי היווני, translit=Parashat HaEe HaYevani) was an Israeli political scandal involving David Appel, Ariel Sharon, at the time a minister in the

Likud Likud ( he, הַלִּיכּוּד, HaLikud, The Consolidation), officially known as Likud – National Liberal Movement, is a major centre-right to right-wing political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin and Ariel Sha ...

party, and others close to Sharon. The scandal consisted of charges, later dropped, that Appel had obtained favourable treatment from Sharon and his allies, which would help him and his fellow investors purchase the small rocky island of

Patroklos In Greek mythology, Patroclus, Greek Patroklos, was Achilles’ best friend and, according to some, his lover. Due to the wide fame of Homer's work, it was used as a male first name throughout the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Patroclus may als ...

at the tip of

Attica Attica ( el, Αττική, Ancient Greek ''Attikḗ'' or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a historical region that encompasses the city of Athens, the capital of Greece and its countryside. It is a peninsula projecting into the Aegean S ...

, in the town of

Palaia Fokaia Palaia Fokaia ( el, Παλαιά Φώκαια, meaning Old Phocaea) is a former community and a seaside town in East Attica, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Saronikos, of which it is a municipal unit. ...

, for the purpose of building a multimillion-dollar resort complex. The project was illegally obstructed. While Ariel Sharon was Foreign Minister under Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (; ; born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. He is currently serving as Leader of the Opposition and Chairman of ...

in 1999, the indictment asserted, Appel contracted to pay Gilad Sharon, Ariel's son, then 30 years old and a business novice , US$20,000 a month as a business consultant to Appel's development project. It was reported that Gilad may have received up to 3 million euros, had the project been successful. Israeli prosecutors argued that Appel signed the contract with Gilad Sharon in order to secure his father's help in facilitating the resort project. Sharon later hosted the deputy foreign minister of

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

during his visit to Israel. The indictment also charged that Appel had assisted Ehud Olmert's campaign for mayor of Jerusalem. On June 14, 2004 Israel's Attorney General

Menachem Mazuz Menachem "Meni" Mazuz ( he, מְנַחֵם "מֶנִי" מָזוּז; born April 30, 1955) is an Israeli jurist and Supreme Court justice, who served as the Israeli Attorney General in the years 2004–2010. Life and career Mazuz was born in Dje ...

decided to close the case without criminal proceedings because of lack of evidence. The land deal was actually negotiated before Sharon was Foreign Minister, and Sharon had voted against Appel's interests when he was Housing Minister in an earlier government. Mazuz also commented negatively on the prosecution: "There was a goal at the outset which influenced the decision-making process."Sharon exonerated of corruption
''

Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' 16 June 2004

Sources

{{Reflist Political scandals in Israel Ariel Sharon Greece–Israel relations