A campaign billboard for Gadi Eisenkot, leader of Israel’s Yesh party, was placed along a major highway in Cyprus and sparked widespread public debate in the country. The billboard, written in Hebrew, featured Eisenkot’s photo alongside the message: “Israelis, drive safely. You deserve it.”
1+The ad, apparently aimed at the thousands of Israelis staying in Cyprus, drew heavy reaction on social media and in local media. At the center of the debate was whether it’s appropriate to allow a foreign country’s election campaign on Cypriot soil—especially at a time when the number of Israelis on the island is particularly high.
At the center of the storm was independent European Parliament member Fidias Panayiotou, who posted a video attacking the billboard’s placement. “Do you understand how serious this is? It shows how many Israelis are here—so many that it was worth putting up a billboard for them,” he said. He went on to call for legislation banning political campaigns by non-EU countries on Cypriot territory.
1+Alongside the criticism, Panayiotou’s remarks also drew pushback from commenters and analysts who argued that focusing on the number of Israelis in the country and framing their presence as a problem fuels anti-Israeli discourse with antisemitic overtones.