‘Turkey is a common enemy’: Pro-Israel network forms parliamentary groups in Greece and Cyprus

Pro-Israel US lobby group Aipac has visited Cyprus to promote what it called “security partnerships in the Eastern Mediterranean” between Israel, Cyprus and the US. The delegation, led by outgoing Aipac president Bernard Kaminetsky and president-elect Yehuda Neuberger, met President Nikos Christodoulides on Wednesday, underscoring Cyprus’s growing importance to Israeli interests. Aipac faces widespread condemnation in the US for its influence over members of Congress and US presidents and for pushing an Israel-first agenda, including backing the war on Iran, which has caused global economic fallout. The meeting came just days after another pro-Israel lobby group with far-right links, the Israel Allies Foundation (IAF), launched parliamentary caucuses in Greece and Cyprus to deepen Israel’s influence in both countries’ parliaments. Announcing the Cypriot initiative on 14 October after meeting Christodoulides, IAF president Josh Reinstein described Turkey as a “common enemy” of both countries. Read more: ‘Turkey is a common enemy’: Pro-Israel network forms parliamentary groups in Greece and Cyprus