Newsroom
A protest outside the Presidential Palace on Friday afternoon called for President Nikos Christodoulides to cancel his planned trip to Israel, citing international legal concerns and the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Demonstrators highlighted an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of violations of international humanitarian law.
Organized by 12 groups, including the Cyprus Peace Council, EDON, and United for Palestine, the protest centered around a petition urging Christodoulides to reconsider his visit. The petition argued that as a signatory of the Rome Statute, Cyprus is obligated to cooperate with the ICC and arrest individuals with active warrants, such as Netanyahu. It also emphasized that the visit contradicts an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice, which labeled Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories as illegal.
Protesters expressed opposition to Cyprus' growing relations with Israel, especially concerning energy agreements, which they argue contradict UN recommendations and could support Israel’s occupation and apartheid regime. The petition called on Cyprus to reassess its bilateral ties with Israel, urging the country to align with international law and stand in solidarity with Palestinian victims of repression.
The demonstration also addressed a recent attack on a humanitarian aid vessel off the coast of Malta, allegedly carried out by an Israeli drone. Protesters, including Melani Steliou, condemned the attack and voiced their solidarity with Gaza.
Nikos Panayiotou, representing the 12 co-organizing groups, stated that Christodoulides lacked a public mandate for the visit and claimed that Cyprus' cooperation with Israel was not in the national interest. He argued that Israel's actions in Gaza amounted to genocide and rejected the notion that diplomatic ties should prioritize short-term national interests over human rights.
The protest temporarily halted traffic near the Presidential Palace for two hours, with demonstrators chanting slogans, reading poetry, and holding cultural events in support of Palestinian solidarity.
