Protest held against Herzog visit

A demonstration took place without incident outside the presidential palace late Thursday afternoon protesting the visit here by Israeli President Isaac Herzog. Organised by the Cyprus Peace Council and other anti-war groups, the protest drew a crowd of a few dozen. The organisation had described the visit as a “huge provocation”, citing Israel’s military operations in Gaza and the West Bank as well as its campaigns in Lebanon, Syria and Iran. The organisers had called on members of the public to attend and “send a strong message” that Herzog is not welcome in Cyprus. Waving Palestinian flags, the demonstrators were allowed to gather at the wall outside the presidential palace, where President Nikos Christodoulides hosted the Israeli president. A modest police force was deployed to the scene. No incidents were reported.

Demonstrators held up placards reading: “Complicit in genocide – resign” and “Stand up for Palestine. ” In a statement read out, one of the speakers said: “Every time Cyprus rolls out the red carpet to welcome the political leadership of Israel, blood flows under our feet. “A leadership that no longer receives official invitations, except for arrest warrants. It comes and goes at the presidential palace of the Republic as if it’s right at home, offending every Cypriot man and woman. ” The speaker added: “In response to those who place strategic interests, and raw force, above international law, solidarity and the rule of law, we say that Israel does not care about Cyprus; Israel does not care about a settlement of the Cyprus problem, and moreover it will never liberate Cyprus. ” (Photo: Christos Theodorides) While a photo of Herzog signing an Israeli artillery shell provided a clear image of support for the war in Gaza, his comments in the direct aftermath…