The planned visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog to Cyprus has triggered a heated exchange between the country’s two largest political parties.
The left-wing AKEL party called Herzog’s visit a “brutal provocation”, describing him as “the head of the war machine that is currently annihilating the Palestinian people”. The left-wing party announced its support for two protest demonstrations planned for Thursday afternoon in Larnaca and Nicosia.
The conservative Democratic Rally (DISY) party responded by accusing AKEL of attempting to isolate Cyprus diplomatically, arguing that the country should maintain its role as “a pillar of security and cooperation” in the region.
“AKEL wants us to sever all diplomatic relations with a powerful country in the region,” DISY said in a statement. The party warned that such a position would align Cyprus with “extreme movements and radical Islamist countries”.
AKEL countered by criticising DISY’s leadership for “defending Israel’s genocide and barbarism”, noting that Israeli military actions have resulted in over 45,000 deaths, including 16,000 children.
DISY spokesman Onoufrios Koulla dismissed AKEL’s rhetoric as “outdated” and defended his party’s stance as protecting national interests.
Herzog is planned to visit Cyprus today and will meet with President Christodoulides at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia at 16:30.
Activists have announced that they will protest the visit during his arrival at Larnaca airport and outside the Presidential Palace in the capital.
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