Demonstrations against the war in Gaza during the visit of the President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, to Cyprus were held on Thursday, January 9. Amid protests, Herzog meet with President Nikos Christodoulides at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia. The Cyprus Peace Council held two protests. at 16:00 at the Larnaca airport roundabout and at 16:30 at the entrance of the Presidential Palace.

The meeting “focused on regional and international developments”, Cyprus Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said in a written statement. “President Christodoulides and President Herzog exchanged views on current regional and international issues,” he said. “The discussion focused on the evolving situation in Syria and its potential impact on the Eastern Mediterranean, while also highlighting the stabilizing role of Cyprus as a bridge between the region and the European Union.”

“Herzog, you are not welcome here”, protesters against the war in Gaza at the Larnaca airport on Thursday, January 9, 2025 (Photo: Cyprus Peace Council)

AKEL, the Progressive Party of Working People, supported the two protests organized by the Cyprus Peace Council. “The visit to our country by the President of Israel, at a time when Israel continues the genocide and mass atrocities in Palestine and throughout the Middle East, constitutes a brutal provocation. Mr. Christodoulides’ guest is the leader of the war machine that is currently exterminating the Palestinian people, is invading neighboring states, attacking the UN and violating every concept of law and morality”, AKEL said. “The Cypriot people are and must be on the side of peace and justice, not on the side of the occupying power and the murderers,” they agreed.