Israel’s partners, yet leaders in antisemitism: The Greece-Cyprus paradox

In recent years, Israel, Greece and the Republic of Cyprus have developed increasingly close ties in the Eastern Mediterranean, with the three countries seeking to expand cooperation in energy, security and infrastructure. The partnership is often described as an “energy triangle.”

However, despite close cooperation with Israel, the populations of Greece and the Greek part of Cyprus exhibit the highest levels of antisemitism among EU member states, Caliber.Az reports per Greek Reporter.

A new global survey has identified Cyprus as the European Union country with the highest level of antisemitic attitudes, according to the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) Global 100 index. 

Researchers found that 58 per cent of Cypriot adults hold elevated anti-Jewish views, the steepest figure recorded among EU nations in the report. That score placed Cyprus 82nd out of 103 countries and territories worldwide.

An estimated 627,000 Cypriots, in a country of under a million residents, were found to harbour these attitudes. The results mark Cyprus as recording the highest antisemitic attitudes of any nation in the region, researchers noted.

Only 38 per cent of Cypriots viewed Israel favourably. Still, a large majority backed maintaining diplomatic relations with Israel and welcoming Israeli tourists, at 81 per cent and 90 per cent respectively.

Two other Western European countries also stood out for their elevated scores. Greece registered an index score of 50, meaning an estimated 4.3 million Greek adults hold elevated antisemitic attitudes, second only to Cyprus in the region.

Belgium came in third at 30, affecting roughly 2.8 million people, while the Western European average stood at just 17, underscoring how far these three countries diverge from their neighbours.

Meanwhile, Israeli tourists in Greece have been recently urged to keep Jewish and Israeli symbols out of sight as pro-Palestinian demonstrations are planned across the country.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued the warning on August 8 ahead of a nationwide “day of rage”, with protests expected at dozens of locations, including areas popular with Israeli holidaymakers, Jewish News writes. 

“Given the expected scale of the protests and the possibility of large gatherings and disturbances, the Foreign Ministry recommends that Israeli citizens in Greece exercise increased vigilance, stay away from protest sites and large gatherings, and avoid any friction or confrontation with demonstrators,” the ministry said. “It is recommended to keep Israeli and Jewish identifying symbols discreet and to avoid posting your location in real time on social media.”