Cypriot lawmaker slams Eisenkot billboards ahead of Israeli election

Cypriot Member of European Parliament, Fidias Panayiotou, criticized Yashar Party leader Gadi Eisenkot for a billboard campaign in Cyprus ahead of Israel's October 27 election. Panayiotou stated, "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." He added, "This is simply not right. We must defend Cyprus's sovereignty." Eisenkot's office indicated the campaign, featuring the slogan "Israelis, enjoy! You deserve it," will expand to other countries to convey a positive message to Israelis about electoral victory. This incident follows Panayiotou's previous concerns in May regarding Israeli land purchases in Cyprus, which Israeli Ambassador Oren Anolik called "deeply concerning" and accused Panayiotou of fueling antisemitism. Nikolas Papadopoulos, President of Cyprus's Democratic Party, also deemed Panayiotou's earlier remarks "harmful to our homeland."