NICOSIA — A Cyprus Israel lobby row has erupted on the divided Mediterranean island after six lawmakers launched a new parliamentary chapter of the Israel Allies Foundation, triggering a sharp political dispute with the main opposition party AKEL, which accused them of turning the legislature into a platform for foreign lobbying.
Key facts
- Six MPs from DISY, DIKO and ELAM formed a parliamentary group with the Israel Allies Foundation (IAF), chaired by DIKO lawmaker Chrysis Pantelides.
- Presented to President Nikos Christodoulides at a Nicosia ceremony, it becomes the IAF network’s 68th parliamentary caucus worldwide.
- Opposition party AKEL called the move “extremely provocative,” accusing the six of turning parliament into a foreign lobbying platform and citing a September 2025 UN inquiry conclusion that genocide had been committed in Gaza.
- DISY hit back, accusing AKEL of wanting Cyprus isolated and asking whether it would “rather stand with Hamas and Turkey.”
- A separate Transatlantic Friends of Israel chapter with MPs from the same three parties launched two weeks earlier.
Six lawmakers launch pro-Israel caucus
The new group, announced on Wednesday, brings together two MPs each from centre-right DISY, centrist DIKO and nationalist ELAM. Pantelides said the caucus would deepen ties between Cyprus and Israel, speaking after the group met President Christodoulides alongside IAF president Josh Reinstein. The foundation, operating for nearly 20 years, says it has built a network of 68 parliamentary caucuses with around 1,700 legislators across 68 countries. The move follows tightening Cyprus-Israel cooperation in defence, energy and infrastructure, including deliveries of Israeli-built Barak MX air defences from late 2024. For more of our regional coverage, see Watan News.
AKEL slams the Cyprus Israel lobby row launch
AKEL said the initiative was unprecedented and risked compromising parliament’s independence. The party raised concerns about the American Jewish Committee, which set up the Transatlantic Friends of Israel network, saying it had campaigned against UN resolutions. In its criticism, AKEL pointed to Israel’s continued occupation and settlement activity in Palestinian territory and to the September 2025 UN inquiry conclusion that genocide had been committed in Gaza. It also noted Western sanctions against Israeli officials and measures targeting settlements considered illegal under international law. The party questioned Cabinet ministers’ attendance at the launch and the president’s decision to receive the organisation’s leadership.
Cyprus divided over Israel ties
DISY rejected the criticism, saying Cyprus’s security and international position were too serious to be subordinated to AKEL’s “ideological obsessions.” It described stronger relations with Israel as “a strategic choice,” arguing that a country whose northern part has been occupied since 1974 needed strong international support. The party rejected what it called a false equivalence, saying support for the Palestinian people did not require limiting international cooperation. The dispute highlights deep divisions among Greek Cypriot parties over relations with Israel and the role of international advocacy groups in national politics, with both pro-Israel networks launched within weeks of each other.
