Eisenkot ad campaign targets Israelis vacationing in Cyprus, irking locals

Yashar party raises two billboards encouraging Israelis to enjoy themselves, then to go home and vote; Cypriot influencer and EU lawmaker calls to defend nation’s ‘sovereignty’

By ToI Staff 27 July 2026, 4:10 pm

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A billboard advertises Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party, in Cyprus. The Hebrew reads: 'Israelis, enjoy! You deserve it. Yashar, with Eisenkot.' (Fidias Panayiotou on X)

A Cypriot politician and influencer on Monday called for banning foreign countries from conducting campaigns in his country, after Hebrew-language billboards for Gadi Eisenkot kicked up a storm on the nation’s social media.

The pair of advertisements, put up by the ex-general’s Yashar party, aim to reach the many Israeli tourists who travel to Cyprus for vacations, ahead of national elections on October 27.

One sign, reportedly placed in a location visible to someone landing in the country, reads: “Israelis, enjoy. You deserve it.” The other, placed along the route to the airport, reads: “Did you relax? Did you enjoy yourself? Now let’s go back and win!”

Eisenkot’s headquarters confirmed that the billboards were part of its official campaign, according to the Ynet news site.

Photos of the billboards went viral over the weekend and sparked anger among some Cypriot citizens, including independent member of the European Union parliament Fidias Panayiotou.

Panayiotou, a 26-year-old YouTuber, made headlines in 2024 when he was elected to represent Cyprus in the EU body, despite being widely considered a novelty candidate. He took office in October 2025.

איזנקוט הרים קמפיין שלטי חוצות בחו״ל לכבוד אוגוסט: ״תהנו״ – ״עכשיו חוזרים ומנצחים״ כרגע בקפריסין, מתכוונים לפרסם במדינות נוספות pic.twitter.com/SUCQ3zvJFT

— עמיאל ירחי (@amiel_y) July 26, 2026

On Sunday, he posted a photo of one of the billboards on X, writing: “This photo was not taken in Israel, but in my country, Cyprus.”

“This time is [sic] political propaganda, but it is also becoming increasingly common to see billboards advertising real estate in Hebrew across the island,” he continued. “This is simply not right. We must defend Cyprus’s sovereignty.”

Cyprus does not have laws prohibiting such advertising.

Niche Advertising, the company that erected the billboard, said it did not endorse Eisenkot or his party, but – according to the Cyprus Mail news site – dismissed the criticism, noting that “the Israelis are investing greatly in Cyprus” and suggesting that similar electioneering happens in Germany for Turkish elections.

The controversy came amid growing sensitivity in Cyprus over the large number of Israelis visiting and relocating to the island, with some also buying real estate and opening businesses there.

A father and his children look at a sculpture at an open-air sculpture park in the southeastern resort of Ayia Napa on the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

Nearly one million Israeli citizens and their children live outside Israel, according to a 2025 report, making the demographics of those who fly home to vote a significant factor in the outcome of elections in Israel, which does not have an absentee voting system for ordinary citizens.

Earlier this month, the Haaretz daily reported that senior officials in Transportation Minister Miri Regev’s office have discussed ways to limit the number of flights coming into Ben Gurion Airport in the days leading up to the elections, to thwart the arrival of voters opposed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Following the report, Democrats MK Efrat Rayten wrote to Regev threatening to immediately petition the High Court of Justice against any policy that would limit the number of incoming flights without a safety or security basis.