Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived on Sunday, accompanied by his wife Sarah, on a two-day visit to Cyprus to discuss the disputes over the ownership of parts of the Aphrodite gas field in the Cypriot economic waters.
Israel and Cyprus have yet to reach an agreement on the distribution of profits of the gas field since its discovery 13 years ago.
Cypriot officials expressed their dissatisfaction for failing to reach an agreement with Israel, which signed an understanding agreement with Lebanon, Tel Aviv's enemy. Israel also intends to sign a deal with Türkiye.
Cypriot officials said in a news program on the official Hebrew radio, Kan, that Israel signed an agreement with Lebanon but not with them.
The summit will also address the possibility of building a gas pipeline between Israel and Türkiye.
The former Israeli governments, headed by Naftali Bennett and then headed by Yair Lapid, conveyed a message stating that Greece and Cyprus do not support the idea.
According to the Walla website, Netanyahu aims to confirm to the Cypriot side that the alliance with Cyprus will remain strong no matter the developments in Israel's relations with Türkiye.
Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with Greek President Nikos Christodoulides and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during his visit.
The trip was initially planned for the end of July but was postponed due to Netanyahu's health issues and his heart pacemaker implantation.
Notably, it is Netanyahu's first trip abroad in five months, as he feared facing the protest movement against his plan to overturn Supreme Court rulings.
The protest movement received Netanyahu in Cyprus with several protests organized by Israelis residing in Cypriot cities. They are preparing to demonstrate in front of the hotel where Netanyahu intends to stay, "City of Dreams," a Chinese casino hotel recently opened in Limassol. All the meetings will be held in Nicosia.
Protesters have hung banners across the area, featuring messages such as: "Netanyahu- even in little Cyprus, you won't find rest!", "The accused is coming to Cyprus, and we'll ensure he won't have peace," and other banners.
They protested near the meetings and gatherings to disturb him and ensure he heard their voice directly.
Before leaving Tel Aviv, Netanyahu announced at Ben Gurion Airport that he would soon announce the date of his upcoming meeting with US President Joe Biden.
The meeting is expected to occur in New York, where he will participate in the United Nations General Assembly discussions and deliver a speech on September 21. But Netanyahu prefers the meeting at the White House, even if he is delayed in Washington.
