At a press conference in December, the Israeli Prime Minister said: “To those who fantasise they can-re-establish their empires and their dominion over our lands, I say: Forget it. It’s not going to happen. Don’t even think about it.”
This was an apparent reference to Turkey. However, what is unfolding now in the region is evidently a Greater Israel, which sounds out empire. Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Iran under attack by the Israeli Defence Forces, along with the pacification of Egypt, the Gulf States, the UAE and Jordan, demonstrates that Israel is building itself an empire in one of modern history’s most contested regions.
The Israel-Greece-Cyprus alignment, which dates to the early 2010s encompasses cooperation on security and defence, such as joint military training and intelligence sharing. This draws Cyprus and Greece directly into the sphere of Israel’s clear expansionist policy.
As of mid-April, there is no other country in Europe that is taking this kind of step towards military cooperation and partnership. The Hungarian PM’s (Viktor Orban) recent exit strips Israel of one of its most dependable allies inside the European Union. Orban had for years repeatedly used his veto to shield Netanyahu’s government from pressure. Spain’s government has been adamantly critical of Israeli policies, and many other European countries have been lethargically following suit.
In less than three months, the European Citizens’ Initiative Justice for Palestine, (which has been put forth by the European Left Alliance) has crossed the threshold of one million signatures demanding the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. Why then is Cyprus and Greece involving themselves with the expansionist Israeli policies, when the entire bloc is turning from ally into critic?
More specifically, shouldn’t Nicosia be uneasy with this approach as it is distinctly agitating relations with Ankara?
Supporters of this relationship will state the need for the island to have regional and strategic allies, something the Christodoulides cabinet has been quite active on. However, as part of the European Union, our close ties with Israel could face stern criticism from an everchanging political outlook towards Israel’s atrocities in the region.
The enthusiastic support for Israel, (a country which is widely accused of violating international law in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon), should be seen as deeply problematic. Especially when both Cyprus and Greece have been basing their claims against Turkish actions in both countries as breaching international law.
Should Cyprus (or Greece for that matter) find themselves head-to-head with Turkey at the International Court of Justice over the Cypriot occupation or any territorial dispute between Greece and Turkey, their moral authority could be undercut. Inconsistency could weaken its legal case and embolden critics who argue that Greece and Cyprus selectively apply international norms when it suits their foreign policy objectives.
Furthermore, should the European Council finally decide to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement, both countries could find themselves paying a heavy diplomatic price.
At times like these, Nicosia, more so than Athens, should focus their negotiations on promoting prosperity and peace in our neighbouring region, rather than ardently standing with Israel – no matter the cost – when the cost could be a heavy one in a shifting European outlook on Israel.
