Jewish community says Trump tree-planting was ‘misunderstanding’

The planned planting of 48 trees “in honour of US President Donald Trump” by the Jewish community in Larnaca was a “misunderstanding” and was “not intended to be a political event”, the Chief Rabbi of Cyprus, Arie Zeev Raskin, told the Cyprus Mail on Friday.

An invitation circulating earlier in the week described the tree-planting as a ceremony for Trump, who had “caused the release of the [48] Israeli hostages and the signing of the peace agreement.”

Speaking to the Cyprus Mail following widespread criticism, Raskin said the character of the event had been misinterpreted.

“We’re not political players,” he said.

Asked whether a similar event was planned to honour the more than 69,000 Palestinians killed by the Israeli Defence Forces in Gaza since October 2023, Raskin said this was “up to Cypriot civil society”.

In a Facebook statement on Friday morning, the Jewish community said the event had been presented in the media as political, “which it was not”.

“It has never been our aim to introduce any political dimension, to cause discomfort, or to convey any message that could be interpreted as divisive,” the statement read.

The community said the event was meant to honour the recent peace agreement and apologised for any inconvenience caused.

“We have instructed the organisers to amend the invitation so that it clearly reflects the true purpose of the event,” it added, stressing that it was open to “every person who believes that peace, unity and the preservation of life are values worth celebrating.”

The Larnaca municipality told the Cyprus Mail on Friday that the event could proceed as planned and that it did not intend to intervene.

Larnaca mayor Andreas Vyras said in a statement on Thursday that the municipality had been unaware the trees were to be planted for Trump.

He said the event had been presented as part of the Jewish community’s social and environmental contribution and that he only realised its intended dedication upon receiving the invitation.

“No permit was granted for a tree planting in honor of the American President, and during a telephone conversation with them we mentioned that they should have informed us that the tree planting would be carried out for this purpose,” he said.

Vyras added that the location, suggested by the municipality, was a traffic island outside Larnaca’s Vergina high school, emphasising that it was not within school grounds.

“The Jewish community informed us that they would not install any kind of sign at the site,” the mayor concluded.

Akel, commenting on Friday afternoon, called on organisers to cancel the event, accusing them of attempting to “channel Zionist propaganda”.

“We point out to the organisers and their supporters that if we were to plant a tree for every murdered Palestinian civilian, for every Palestinian hostage and prisoner, for every child condemned to starvation, we would have to plant trees all over the island,” it said.

Akel dismissed the community’s attempt to reword the invitation, saying it did not change the essence of the event.

“Holding events to honour the US president who actively supports Israeli barbarities and genocide against the Palestinian people is unacceptable and condemnable in every respect,” it said.

Unicef on Friday reported that at least 67 children were killed in “conflict-related incidents,” since the beginning of what it referred to as a shaky ceasefire in October.

“Dozens more have been injured. That is an average of almost two children killed every day since the ceasefire took effect,” Unicef spokesperson Ricardo Pires told reporters in Geneva.

Meanwhile, Israel says three of its soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire came into effect.

The war in Gaza began after Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and seized 251 hostages in an attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

According to health officials in Gaza, the Israeli offensive that followed has killed over 69,000 Palestinians, most which are civilians.

Under Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza, Hamas released all 20 living hostages held in Gaza agreed to hand over the remains of 28 dead hostages in exchange for the bodies of 360 Palestinian militants killed during Israels offensive.