15/09/2026
CYPRUS ACTIVIST COALITION CONDEMNS CHRISTODOULIDES-HERZOG MEETING, CALLS FOR MASS PROTEST
This Thursday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog is being welcomed to Cyprus by President Nikos Christodoulides, to discuss a hypothetical tension between Israel and Turkey and the deepening of the military involvement of Israel and Cyprus in order to shield against this ‘threat’.
Herzog's visit comes as Israel continues devastating military campaigns across the region:
- Gaza, Israel continues to bomb, kill and injure civilians, to displace and starve its entire population, to block humanitarian aid and destroy its civilian infrastructure.
- West Bank: Israel has demolished 2,819 Palestinian homes in the last three years alone, leaving 2,823 adults and 1,433 children homeless. From 7 October 2023 to 28 June 2026, Israel killed 1,086 Palestinians in the West Bank, 241 of them children and teenagers. Nearly one in every four Palestinians killed by Israel was a minor.
- Lebanon: Israeli airstrikes and a ground invasion have killed more than 4,300 people since March, according to Lebanese authorities. On Monday alone, a wave of Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon killed 12 people including women and children. The Israeli army is reportedly considering establishing a new "security zone" extending 2 to 4 kilometres inside Lebanese territory.
- Syria: Israel has launched repeated missile and artillery attacks on Syrian territory, including strikes on military sites in Aleppo province and artillery barrages on the outskirts of Damascus. Israeli forces have also struck a Syrian airbase in northern Idlib.
- Iran: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened Iran with a "devastating" response if it attacks Israel and declared that his government remains determined to bring down Tehran's leadership. Regional tensions have escalated since US-Israeli attacks on Iran began on 28 February.
Israel continues to be accused, by credible international organisations, for genocide and its leaders are wanted war criminals.
And where does Cyprus fit into all of this?
Israel increasingly sees Cyprus as a strategically important part of its regional network. Herzog himself has previously described Cyprus as “essential” in the context of the strategic changes taking place in the region and pushes for expanding cooperation with Greece and Cyprus in defence, security and crisis preparedness. These are not collaborations between equals. As it recently surfaced, both regarding the Achilles’ Shield and the GSI, Israel retains control and gains the benefit whilst Greece and Cyprus pay the price.
All successive political leaderships in Israel rely on the perpetual war doctrine in order to perpetuate their grip on power. Ahead of the upcoming elections of October, Netanyahu is pulling strings to manufacture tensions and confrontations with Turkey. Erdogan is staging a similar atmosphere for his own constituency to enhance his hegemony over the Muslim world: With one hand Turkey propagates a pro-Palestine rhetoric and imposes trade embargo on Israel; and with the other it plays a major role in enabling the fuel production for Israel’s army: 14.4 million barrels of oil were shipped to Israel from Turkish ports following Turkey’s 2024 announcement that it had suspended all trade with Israel.
For Cyprus, being part of this political powergame is highly dangerous. Instead of forging a dialogue to bridge differences over the negotiating table, Christodoulides is playing a dangerous game of an arms race with Turkey and of siding with a self-proclaimed adversary of Turkey, in order to appease the far-right, on whose votes his re-election relies. The Cyprus problem is already a complex issue, but adding Israel’s geopolitical games with Turkey to an already divided island is beyond reckless. The taxpayer’s money spent on arms we are buying from Israel is money taken away from our health care, our education systems and our welfare.
Cyprus should not be used as a platform to pressure, contain or provoke Turkey. Because the consequences will not be borne by Israeli politicians sitting safely abroad. They will be borne by ordinary Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots living on this island. And this directly undermines the very thing our government claims to strive for: the reunification of Cyprus.
WE CALL ON ALL CYPRIOTS – GREEK CYPRIOTS, TURKISH CYPRIOTS, AND ALL RESIDENTS OF THE ISLAND – TO JOIN US IN MASS PROTEST:
📢 THURSDAY, 10 SEPTEMBER 2026 – 6:30 P.M.
📍 PRESIDENTIAL PALACE, NICOSIA
We say to President Christodoulides: Herzog is not welcome in Cyprus. This meeting legitimises racism and militarism, it normalises genocide, occupation, settler colonialism and apartheid in Palestine, threatens our security, and deepens the division of our island. Cypriots want peace, not war. We demand
Αn end to the reckless geopolitical games played by Christodoulides
Freedom and justice for Palestine.
And we will make our voices heard.
Signed by:
Genocide-Free Cyprus
Far Right Watch Cy
Cyprus - Palestine Solidarity Action
BDS Cyprus
Παγκύπριο Συμβούλιο Ειρήνης - Kıbrıs Barış Konseyi
Συμμαχία Ενάντια στην Ακροδεξιά, στον Φασισμό και τον Ρατσισμό
KISA
