Israel’s new Ambassador to Greece, Pninat Yanai, has arrived in Athens to take up her duties. According to a report on ERT News, Pninat Yanai is a lawyer, strategic adviser and specialist in international relations, and a media commentator with extensive experience in the fields of law, business, diplomacy and strategic communication.
She was appointed by the Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar at a time when the country is aiming to strengthen the strategic partnership between Israel and Greece in areas such as defence, energy, tourism, investment, innovation, culture, academic collaboration and relations between the two peoples.
Pninat Yanai graduated in Law from Bar-Ilan University and undertook postgraduate studies in Public and International Law through Tel Aviv University, in collaboration with Northwestern University in Chicago. As a lawyer she has specialised in cases of criminal law, especially of financial crimes, as well as in legal disputes, having represented clients in high-profile cases throughout Israel. She also founded a pro bono section in her law firm with the aim of providing legal representation for people who have insufficient access to legal services as well as for women who have suffered sexual abuse.
Between 2012 and 2020 Ms Yanai represented top-level Israeli firms in the fields of defence and security, as well as businesses in cybersecurity, internal security and energy, especially in Africa. Subsequently she founded a company of strategic advisers, providing advice to Israeli companies on crisis management, regulatory frameworks, business development and strategic communications.
Ms Yanai, who is a well-known figure in Israeli public life, regularly appears as a political, defence and legal analyst on Israeli TV stations. She has also been active in promoting international support for Israel following the attacks of 7th October 2023, via a digital platform called Love Israel, and founded an NGO which raises money for the welfare of African children.
(ERT News, 17/08/26)
Meeting with Chief of Defence General Staff
On 25th August, the Israeli Embassy in Greece announced on its Facebook page that the new Ambassador had had a meeting with Greece’s Chief of Defence General Staff, General Dimitris Houpis, commenting “We had an in-depth discussion about the strong and strategic security partnership between Israel and Greece, built on mutual trust, shared interests and a common commitment to the security and stability of our region. Greece is a true friend and a strategic ally of Israel …”
Declaration of mutual support
In view of the unstable situation in the Middle East and the possible threat from neighbouring states, Greece and Israel have in recent years been taking extensive measures to increase cooperation, particularly in the fields of defence and security and more generally – a move which has also included Cyprus.
In a Joint Declaration at the 10th Trilateral Summit of Israel, Greece and Cyprus held in Jerusalem on 22nd December 2025, the three countries declared their mutual support for one another and pledged to deepen ties in the areas of:
— Security, Counterterrorism, and Maritime Cooperation
— Emergency Response Cooperation
— Energy, Connectivity, and Regional Prosperity
— Science, Technology, and Innovation
— European and Regional Cooperation, and
— People-to-People Ties.
(www.primeminister.gr)