The Embassy of Israel in Cyprus held a reception for the 76th anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel in Nicosia.
Ambassador Oren Anolik welcomed guests from the political, diplomatic, business, media, culture and academia.
“Tonight, we gathered here in Nicosia to mark Israel’s 76th year of Independence. I chose the word ‘mark’ and not ‘celebrate’ because, unfortunately, it is a different Independence Day this year. The atrocious Hamas terror attack on October 7, 2023, shook us to our core.
“Since October 7 we have witnessed diverse reactions around the world to the events of that day and for what has unfolded since. We saw manifestations of support and compassion alongside harsh criticism, baseless allegations and the worst outburst of antisemitism since WWII”, he said.
Drawing parallels between the October 7 massacre against Israel and the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in July 1974, the Ambassador noted that when reading some of the testimonies by Greek Cypriots of the horrific events, he was not sure whether the description was of the atrocities committed by the Turkish soldiers 50 years ago or those committed by Hamas’s terrorists 7 months ago.
Ambassador Anolik praised the strong bilateral relations and highlighted the implementation of the Amalthea Plan.
“This successful humanitarian initiative was made possible only thanks to the excellent relations and the high level of trust between Israel and Cyprus”, he concluded.
