{"id":1420,"date":"2025-07-02T07:45:15","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T07:45:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/?p=1420"},"modified":"2025-07-02T07:45:15","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T07:45:15","slug":"israel-is-preparing-a-backyard-in-cyprus-this-cannot-but-sound-the-alarm-for-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/2025\/07\/02\/israel-is-preparing-a-backyard-in-cyprus-this-cannot-but-sound-the-alarm-for-us\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cIsrael is Preparing a \u2018Backyard\u2019 in Cyprus\u2026 This Cannot But Sound the Alarm for Us\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cIsrael is Preparing a \u2018Backyard\u2019 in Cyprus\u2026 This Cannot But Sound the Alarm for Us\u201d<\/a><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

ByR Powell<\/a> June 27, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>As war rages in Gaza and regional escalation with Iran deepens, a quiet but dramatic shift is unfolding just across the Mediterranean. Cyprus, long seen as a neutral tourist haven, is now absorbing thousands of Israeli nationals \u2014 many of them settlers, elites, and fleeing civilians \u2014 in a wave that is transforming the island\u2019s demography, economy, and politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Cyprus\u2019s main opposition party AKEL, this is no ordinary migration. It is, in their words, the construction of \u201ca backyard\u201d \u2014 a satellite enclave of Israeli influence, economic power, and potential intelligence infrastructure, rising just beyond the reach of missiles, but still close enough to matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cIsraeli buyers are purchasing significant land parcels and strategic economic assets,\u201d warned AKEL spokesperson Stefanos Stefanou in June. \u201cThey are building Zionist schools, synagogues, gated enclaves\u2026 Israel is preparing a backyard in Cyprus, and this cannot but sound the alarm for us.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

A Three-Wave Exodus: From Pandemic to War<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Israeli presence in Cyprus has expanded in three clear waves:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. The Pandemic Wave (2020\u20132021):<\/strong>
    During COVID-19, many affluent Israelis fled strict lockdowns and a strained health system for Cyprus\u2019s EU-standard care and relaxed lifestyle. Property sales surged in resort towns like Paphos and Limassol.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. The Judicial Reform Crisis (2023):<\/strong>
    As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched controversial judicial reforms, mass protests erupted across Israel. Thousands began to hedge their bets \u2014 and their real estate \u2014 by acquiring homes abroad. Cyprus, just 40 minutes by air, became a popular fallback.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. The War and Retaliation Wave (2023\u20132025):<\/strong>
    The most recent and explosive surge began after October 7 and intensified with Iran\u2019s missile strikes on Tel Aviv and Haifa. With air routes disrupted and a growing sense of national vulnerability, thousands fled. According to Chabad Cyprus, over 12,000 Israelis passed through their centers in just 10 days, seeking food, shelter, and emergency repatriation services.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Town-by-Town: A New Geography of Influence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The numbers tell a striking story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Limassol<\/strong>: 1,154 Israeli property purchases (511 with title deeds), with heavy clustering in spa and luxury resort areas like\u00a0Pyla<\/strong>,\u00a0Ormideia<\/strong>, and\u00a0Pervolia<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Paphos<\/strong>: 1,291 property transactions by Israelis, including 867 full title deeds.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Larnaca<\/strong>: 1,406 purchases (481 deeds), particularly close to the airport and Chabad\u2019s main synagogue in Pyla.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      In total, nearly 4,000 Israeli-linked properties<\/strong> have been acquired across southern Cyprus since 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Real-estate consultant Loizos Loizou told Cyprus Mail<\/em>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n

      \u201cIsraelis tend to buy large land parcels, featuring spas and resorts \u2014 gated communities, so to speak. Pyla has become their unofficial hub.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

      \u201cA Second Israel\u201d \u2014 Population Doubling in 5 Years<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      In 2018, about 6,500 Israeli nationals resided in Cyprus. By mid-2025, that number has more than doubled to approximately 15,000<\/strong> \u2014 and growing. This includes entire families, business owners, and settlers fleeing West Bank outposts amid regional instability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Chabad reports show that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \u201cMore than 12,000 Israeli Jews passed through our six houses in 10 days during the Iran crisis,\u201d said Rabbi Zeev Raskin. \u201cMany of them had no plans to return.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n\n\n\n

      Locals Alarmed: \u201cLand Doesn\u2019t Belong to Us Anymore\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      AKEL\u2019s fears are not limited to real estate. In their June address, the party highlighted national security, economic justice, and cultural sovereignty:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \u201cAt some point, we\u2019ll discover our own land doesn\u2019t belong to us,\u201d said Stefanu. \u201cThese are not just holiday homes. These are settlements in all but name.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The pattern is familiar. Enclaves emerge. Locals are priced out. Infrastructure \u2014 synagogues, kosher supermarkets, private schools \u2014 is built quickly. The same settler-colonial template used in the West Bank now appears to be taking root in places like Pyla and Limassol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Cypriot media outlets, including Politis<\/em> and Cyprus Mail<\/em>, have published growing numbers of investigative reports about gated communities, property speculation, and political pressure to crack down on Golden Visa abuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Strategic Concerns: Mossad, RAF Bases, and Foreign Control<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Security experts have also raised concerns. A Haaretz expos\u00e9 recently confirmed that Israeli intelligence agencies are active in Cyprus, using the island for \u201csafehouse operations\u201d and staging points. Cyprus also hosts RAF Akrotiri<\/strong>, a major British military base used for reconnaissance missions over Gaza \u2014 further complicating the geopolitical picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      In Turkish-administered Northern Cyprus, land purchases by Israelis have been drastically restricted, with authorities imposing new regulations. But in Greek-administered areas, no such constraints exist \u2014 and bilateral agreements between Cyprus and Israel are shielding the real estate boom from meaningful oversight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \u201cCyprus cannot afford to become a forward operating base for another state,\u201d one European security official warned. \u201cIt risks destabilising the island and compromising its neutrality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n\n\n\n

      Faith, Flight, and a Fading Zionist Dream<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      At the heart of this phenomenon lies a powerful contradiction: If Israel is a divine homeland, why are its people abandoning it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Many of the Israelis relocating to Cyprus are not rejecting Zionism \u2014 they\u2019re exporting it. They bring with them the ideologies, infrastructure, and investment strategies that have transformed Palestine into a patchwork of enclaves. And now, as they take root in Cyprus, many locals fear they are watching the early stages of a new settler project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The Israeli state is doing everything it can to reverse the trend. El Al has launched discounted repatriation flights. Media campaigns appeal to patriotism. But many have tasted the safety, prosperity, and freedom of life abroad. And they are not coming back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n

      \u201cWe tried to go to Israel by yacht, by helicopter,\u201d said one Israeli evacuee to The National<\/em>. \u201cBut Cyprus just felt safer. For now, we\u2019ll stay.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

      \n\n\n\n

      A Nation at a Crossroads<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      What began as a trickle of Israeli tourism has become a full-blown demographic shift. What some once called a \u201csecond home\u201d now feels like a \u201csecond Israel.\u201d And for Cyprus, a country still grappling with its own partition and history of foreign interference, the warning signs are clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      As Stefanos Stefanou put it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n

      \u201cThis cannot but sound the alarm for us. We must ask \u2014 are we selling homes, or are we selling sovereignty?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      \u201cIsrael is Preparing a \u2018Backyard\u2019 in Cyprus\u2026 This Cannot But Sound the Alarm for Us\u201d ByR Powell June 27, 2025 As war rages in Gaza and regional escalation with Iran deepens, a quiet but dramatic shift is unfolding just across the Mediterranean. Cyprus, long seen as a neutral tourist haven, is now absorbing thousands of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1421,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,2,10,16],"tags":[73,72],"class_list":["post-1420","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-international-news","category-news","category-opinion","tag-cyprus","tag-israel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1420","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1420"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1420\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1422,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1420\/revisions\/1422"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1421"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1420"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1420"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1420"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}