Gadi Eisenkot's Election Billboard in Cyprus Vandalized with Palestinian Flag Colors

A billboard promoting Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Israeli political party Yisrael!, was vandalized with Palestinian flag colors about a week after its installation in Cyprus. The billboard was placed along the road between Larnaca and Limassol as part of an election campaign targeting Israelis vacationing on the island.

Before the vandalism, the campaign had already sparked controversy in Cyprus following sharp criticism from Cypriot Member of the European Parliament, Fidas Panayiotou. Posting on X alongside a photo of the billboard, Panayiotou described the campaign as an "Israeli takeover" of his country and expressed that Israeli advertising across Cyprus was unacceptable.

Leon Widel, a Spanish Jew living in Cyprus for the past decade, also criticized the campaign, calling it "immeasurable damage" and questioning why the campaign targeted Cyprus instead of Greece, which hosts more Israeli tourists. Amnon Iluz, CEO of the company involved in the campaign, rejected the criticism in an interview with Kan News, stating the real issue was how a Hebrew billboard aimed at Israeli tourists in a friendly country became a focal point for hatred and antisemitic responses. Iluz attributed this to Israel's deteriorating international standing under Netanyahu's government.

Iluz emphasized the campaign's goal was to reach Israelis during their holidays and noted it was approved by local advertising professionals. The billboard was scheduled to be displayed for ten days and was removed as planned, unrelated to the controversy.