Ultra orthodox Jews in Haifa carry their luggage to a ship bound for Cyprus<\/p>\n
The opposition in Cyprus has recently warned that Israel is establishing a \u201cbackyard\u201d in the EU island nation, in response to increasing property acquisitions in the country by Israeli investors.<\/p>\n
The warning resulted in a diplomatic storm, with both Cypriot and Israeli officials condemning<\/a>\u00a0the opposition\u2019s warning as \u201cantisemitic.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIsraeli buyers are purchasing significant land parcels and strategic economic assets,\u201d spokesperson for the Progressive Party of Working People (AKEL), Stefanos Stefanou, said 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 \u201cIsraeli newspapers speak of a targeted policy of expansion of Israel in Cyprus,\u201d he said. \u201cWe do not say that out of xenophobia or antisemitism,\u201d he added, stressing that \u201cIsrael is occupying us.\u201d<\/p>\n He noted that Israel has bought large quantities of land and is establishing gated communities, predominantly in Larnaca and Limassol. \u201cThese are not just holiday homes. These are settlements in all but name.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSpecific areas are being bought en masse,\u201d Stephanou said. This has resulted in \u201cclosed areas almost inaccessible to anyone other than Israeli nationals.\u201d<\/p>\n He warned that \u201cAt some point, we\u2019ll discover our own land doesn\u2019t belong to us,\u201d adding that Cyprus was becoming a \u201csatellite enclave\u201d for Israel.<\/p>\n These land acquisitions are being carried out through what is referred to as a \u201cGolden Visa,\u201d a residency-by-investment scheme that allows non-EU nationals to acquire a residency by investing in property.<\/p>\n Cyprus has issued thousands of these visas with little oversight. Other EU nations, including Spain, have restricted land sales to non-EU nationals.<\/p>\n Cypriot media outlets, including Politis and Cyprus Mail, have recently published investigative reports about these gated communities and political pressure to crack down on the abuse of the Golden Visa, particularly by AKEL.<\/p>\n Between 2021 and 2025, Israelis have purchased over 1,400 properties in Larnaca, over 1,100 in Limassol, and more than 1,200 in Paphos \u2013 often located near ports, resorts, and strategic sites such as army bases.<\/p>\n In total, almost 4,000 Israeli-linked properties have been acquired across southern Cyprus since 2021.<\/p>\n \u201cIsraelis tend to buy large land parcels, featuring spas and resorts \u2013 gated communities, so to speak. Pyla has become their unofficial hub,\u201d real estate consultant Loizos Loizou told Cyprus Mail recently.<\/p>\n Between 2018 and 2025, the number of Israelis residing in Cyprus has surged from 6,500 to around 15,000.<\/p>\n Israeli newspaper Haaretz recently reported that Israel\u2019s Mossad intelligence agency was active in Cyprus and was using it for \u201csafehouse operations.\u201d<\/p>\n Ynet<\/em>\u00a0also noted<\/a>\u00a0how Israelis were \u201cstorming\u201d the real estate market in Cyprus.<\/p>\n Hebrew media has monitored the growing trend of Israeli land acquisition in Cyprus over the past couple of years. Haaretz<\/em>\u00a0reported<\/a>\u00a0in August 2023 that Israelis were buying \u201canything in sight\u201d in the island nation, calling it \u201cthe second Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n