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🇮🇱 Israel /Elections & Politics

Eisenkot election billboard in Cyprus vandalized with Palestinian flag colors

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • An election billboard in Cyprus featuring Israeli Knesset candidate Gadi Eisenkot was vandalized with Palestinian flag colors.
  • The incident occurred days after the billboards sparked controversy in Cyprus regarding foreign political advertising and the growing Israeli presence.
  • Cypriot politicians have called for legislation to prohibit political campaigns by non-EU countries, with this being the first known case of such advertising in Cyprus.

An election billboard in Cyprus featuring former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot has been vandalized, with unidentified individuals spraying it with the colors of the Palestinian flag and covering Eisenkot’s face with red paint. The billboard, located near Larnaca Airport, was part of the Yashar party’s campaign for Israel's Knesset election.

Israelis, enjoy yourselves! You deserve it.

— Gadi Eisenkot election billboardMessage on one of the billboards placed near Larnaca Airport.

The incident follows days of public controversy in Cyprus surrounding the billboards. Local politicians and citizens have raised concerns about foreign political advertising and the increasing Israeli presence on the island. One billboard, aimed at arriving Israelis, read, “Israelis, enjoy yourselves! You deserve it,” while another directed at those departing stated, “Come back and win.”

Come back and win.

— Gadi Eisenkot election billboardMessage on another billboard directed at departing Israelis.

Independent Member of the European Parliament Fidias Panayiotou strongly criticized the presence of a foreign election campaign in Cyprus, calling for legislation to bar political advertising from countries outside the European Union. He expressed concern on X, formerly Twitter, stating, “This photo was not taken in Israel, but in my country, Cyprus. This time it is political propaganda, but it is also becoming increasingly common to see billboards advertising real estate in Hebrew across the island.” Panayiotou concluded, “This is simply not right. We must defend Cyprus's sovereignty.”

This photo was not taken in Israel, but in my country, Cyprus. This time it is political propaganda, but it is also becoming increasingly common to see billboards advertising real estate in Hebrew across the island.

— Fidias PanayiotouExpressing concern over foreign political advertising in Cyprus.

Cypriot law does not currently prohibit foreign political parties from purchasing advertising space. However, this marks the first known instance of a foreign political party conducting an election campaign using billboards in the country, making the issue particularly sensitive. The vandalism appears to be a protest against these signs, which have also fueled debate on social media and within the Cypriot political establishment.

This is simply not right. We must defend Cyprus's sovereignty.

— Fidias PanayiotouConcluding his statement on the need to protect Cypriot sovereignty.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Jerusalem Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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