Pro-Palestinian protesters reject Israeli president’s visit to Cyprus

NICOSIA, Sept. 11 (YPA) – Pro-Palestinian groups and peace activists protested Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit outside the Presidential Palace in Nicosia on Thursday.

Greek Cypriot media reported that Herzog arrived in southern Cyprus at the invitation of President Nikos Christodoulides.

Demonstrators gathered outside the Greek Cypriot Presidential Palace for the protest,  where demonstrators held banners declaring him “unwelcome” and chanted slogans including “Stop the genocide” and “No to imperialist wars.”

Protesters argued that closer ties with Israeli occupation do not necessarily make Cyprus safer. Instead, they said, they could pull the island deeper into conflicts that have already brought war dangerously close to its shores.

Pancyprian Peace Council President Tasos Kosteas was equally direct, accusing the government of ignoring the bloodshed in Gaza while giving Herzog an official welcome.

“Every time Cyprus rolls out a red carpet to welcome the political leadership of Israel, blood flows under our feet,” he said.

Kosteas rejected claims that Israel’s support could somehow strengthen Cyprus in its confrontation with Turkey or help secure a solution to the Cyprus problem.

For her part, United for Palestine Nicosia spokesperson Athena Kairati said they did not want Cyprus to become a base for war.

“We want Cyprus to be a bridge for peace, without armies, and not a base for war,” she said.

Herzog is visiting the Greek Cypriot Administration at the invitation of its leader, Nikos Christodoulides.

@E.Y.M