Akel questions hosting of Israel lobby group in parliament

Akel asked House president Annita Demetriou on Monday to explain how a parliamentary hall came to host the launch of a cross-party group of MPs working with the Israel Allies Foundation (IAF). In a letter, Akel parliamentary spokesman Giorgos Loukaides asked who requested the Pentadaktylos conference room, who approved its use and on what grounds. He also questioned “who paid for the event and what commitments the MPs have taken on”. The letter calls the formation of such a group inside parliament as “unprecedented”, with Loukaides proposing that the House institutions committee examine whether the code of conduct covers MPs joining networks that “promote the interests of third countries”. Related Articles • Israel lobby sets off political firestorm • Christodoulides meets with Israel Allies Foundation • Turkey ‘a common enemy’ of Cyprus and Israel • MPs establish Israel friendship group branch in Cyprus • Parliament ‘cannot be turned into Israel lobby’ says Akel • MP insists pro-Israel group members are ‘paying own costs’ He wants the issue on the agenda of the next meeting of party leaders and a clear framework for similar groups, “covering disclosure of funding and use of parliamentary resources”. The letter says the event last Wednesday sits “uneasily” with a decision at a leaders’ meeting, where parties reaffirmed that House premises are solely for parliamentary or party activity. A similar row has likewise emerged in Greece, as opposition parties have demanded an explanation over a reported meeting in Athens between Greek politicians and an IAF delegation. A request by Direct Democracy to host an event on its “truth commission” initiative in parliament was withdrawn after that discussion and moved to the House of the Citizen near parliament. Six MPs founded group Six MPs announced the IAF group last week and later met President Nikos Christodoulides, those being Andreas Apostolou and Chrysis Pantelides of Diko, George Karoullas and Charalambos Petrides of Disy, as well as Sotiris Ioannou and Marios Pelekanos of Elam. It followed a Cyprus chapter of Transatlantic Friends of Israel (TFI), launched two weeks earlier with MPs from the same parties. Akel’s letter also raises the foundation’s political aims, as the IAF itself campaigns for an undivided Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, which “conflicts with UN Security Council Resolution 478”. The letter points to European Parliament rules barring certain informal groups on third countries from using its facilities. Akel first lambasted the move last Thursday, calling it “extremely provocative” and accusing the three parties of turning the House into a “lobby for Israel”. It also decried the government, citing ministers’ attendance and the president’s reception of the foundation’s leaders. Disy responded by asking whether Akel wanted to be “on the same side as Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran and Turkey”, asserting that establishing closer ties with Israel was “a strategic choice”. Pantelides, who heads the Cyprus chapter, has assured that members pay their own costs and receive no money from the foundation. He said he paid for the launch dinner and coffees, and that any funded trips would be fully disclosed. He said cooperation with Israel had brought “significant help in defence” and security equipment. The foundation, set up in 2007 by Rabbi Benny Elon, has groups in 68 parliaments, including 25 EU states.