Eisenkot election billboard in Cyprus vandalized with Palestinian flag colors

A Yashar party election billboard in Cyprus featuring former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot was vandalized on Friday with Palestinian flag colors and blood red paint, as reported by Cyprus Mail. The billboard near Larnaca Airport was part of the campaign ahead of Israel's Knesset election on October 27. The incident followed controversy over foreign political advertising in Cyprus, with MEP Fidias Panayiotou criticizing the billboards and calling for legislation to bar non-EU countries from political ads. This is the first known case of a foreign party using billboards in Cyprus.

A Yashar party election billboard in Cyprus featuring former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot was vandalized on Friday, July 31, 2026, after unidentified individuals sprayed it with the colors of the Palestinian flag and covered Eisenkot's face with blood red paint, as reported by the Cyprus Mail. The billboard was placed near Larnaca Airport as part of the party's campaign ahead of Israel's Knesset election, scheduled for October 27. The incident came days after the signs sparked public controversy in Cyprus and prompted local politicians to call for foreign countries to be barred from conducting political campaigns in the country. The vandalized billboard was one of two signs placed near the airport: one facing Israelis arriving in Cyprus reads, "Israelis, enjoy yourselves! You deserve it," while the other, on the road back to the airport, tells them, "Come back and win." The billboards had already sparked controversy earlier in the week, with Independent MEP Fidias Panayiotou strongly criticizing the presence of a foreign country's election campaign in Cyprus and calling for legislation to prohibit political advertising by non-EU countries. The signs also prompted debate on social media and within the Cypriot political establishment over the impact of the growing Israeli presence on the island. Cypriot law currently does not prohibit foreign political parties from purchasing advertising space, but this is the first known case of a foreign party conducting an election campaign using billboards in Cyprus. Eisenkot's office informed The Jerusalem Post that the campaign is expected to expand into other countries throughout the summer, emphasizing that the initiative aims to convey a positive message to Israelis about achieving victory in the elections.