Philenews
May 2, 2025
Demonstrators gathered outside the Presidential Palace in Nicosia on Friday evening to protest President Christodoulides’ upcoming visit to Israel where he is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The protesters criticised the Cypriot government’s maintenance of close relations with Israel while the genocide in Gaza continues.
Demonstrators also expressed support for what they called Palestinians’ struggle for “freedom, self-determination and liberation from colonial and occupying forces.”
In a statement, organisers highlighted that the Israeli prime minister faces international accusations of serious violations of international law, including using starvation as a weapon of war and targeting civilian populations.
The groups also condemned bilateral agreements the Cypriot government reportedly intends to discuss with Israel, particularly in the energy sector, claiming such agreements constitute cooperation with what they termed a “regime of occupation and apartheid.”
Activists noted that Christodoulides’ visit contradicts United Nations calls for countries to reconsider their political and economic relations with Israel and to impose sanctions.
The war in Gaza began after Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which Israeli authorities say killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and resulted in 250 being taken captive.
Israel’s subsequent military campaign has killed at least 50,000 people in Gaza, according to the local health ministry, with most casualties being civilians.
Most of Gaza’s 2.1 million population has been displaced, many multiple times. An estimated 70% of buildings have been damaged or destroyed, with healthcare, water and sanitation systems collapsing amid shortages of food, fuel, medicine and shelter.
Experts, governments, United Nations agencies, and non-governmental organisations have accused Israel of carrying out genocide against the Palestinian people.
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