An investigation by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports that Israeli political consultants held discreet contacts connected to Greece’s ruling party, New Democracy, in the run-up to parliamentary elections.

According to Haaretz, the contacts took place in late 2022, shortly before the vote, after Israeli President Isaac Herzog asked his then-close confidant, Moti Sander, to make contact with Stavros Papastavrou, who is now serving as Greece’s minister of energy and the environment. The newspaper reports that Israeli consultants subsequently met with Greek counterparts.

“All the contact was conducted discreetly,” a diplomatic source familiar with the matter told Haaretz, adding that Greek officials were cautious about being publicly associated with Israel following the eruption of the Predator spyware scandal.

The Haaretz report says Sander assembled a group aimed at working on international election campaigns. The group included two former members of Israel’s security establishment specializing in online influence operations, as well as Israel “Srulik” Einhorn, a former adviser to Benjamin Netanyahu who has since been linked to the Bibileaks and Qatargate scandals and has also done promotional work for Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

Haaretz reports that the Israeli operatives traveled to Greece several times during the campaign. Einhorn took part in two meetings, one source said, presenting material from a company called Perception and receiving compensation. Another source told the newspaper that Einhorn participated in campaign preparation meetings with senior advisers to the prime minister, but not in the campaign itself. The Israelis’ role focused mainly on online influence, the report said.

Throughout the campaign, Haaretz reports, Herzog was periodically updated by Sander on developments in Greece.

In a response quoted by Haaretz, the President’s Office denied the allegations, saying Herzog was not involved in Sander’s activities in Greece and did not recommend, initiate or assist him or anyone on his behalf. The statement said Herzog passed along a phone number on a one-time basis at the request of others and had no acquaintance with Papastavrou or knowledge of Sander’s activities in Greece.