Silent occupation: Israeli settlers flocking to Cyprus
With Israeli airspace gradually reopening after weeks of missile exchanges with Iran, thousands of Israelis who had sought refuge in Cyprus are now heading home by sea. Many had fled to the Mediterranean island to escape violence that destroyed homes and claimed lives in Israel during the conflict.
According to The National, the repatriation is being carried out by the cruise ship Crown Iris, which is making its final voyage back to Ashdod port. The 11-deck Panamanian-registered vessel has been ferrying around 2,000 passengers per trip. The operation has been organised by Israel’s national airline El Al, which has also resumed flights from Cyprus to Israel following the phased reopening of Israeli airspace after the ceasefire.
Israel had closed its airspace on June 13 as its military launched attacks on Iran, stranding an estimated 100,000 to 150,000 citizens abroad. Nesher Drohah, an El Al passenger stranded for weeks, told The National she had been outside Israel since June 6.
“We travelled to Macedonia, Kosovo and Albania and we were meant to be there until June 18 when the war broke out,” she said. “But we’ve been stuck in Tirana until two days ago so now we’re here to go home by boat.”
She described her anxiety to return after learning that friends narrowly escaped a missile strike but lost their home and car. “He’s OK but the house is not OK, the car is not OK,” she said. “We were trying to fly back to get home fast and I hope tomorrow we will be home.”
Cyprus: Refuge and Migration Hub for Israelis
Cyprus has become a crucial transit hub for Israelis during the crisis, offering flights and boat trips to return home, and has also hosted foreign nationals escaping the conflict. The country’s Chief Rabbi Arie Zeev Raskin recently noted that about 6,500 Israelis were on the island after leaving Israel due to the war, with many staying in Limassol and other port cities.
Beyond temporary refuge, Cyprus has increasingly attracted Israelis seeking to relocate permanently. There are now six Chabad Houses on the island serving the growing community, alongside Israeli restaurants and businesses catering to expatriates.
A recent report by activist journalist Dimitri Lascaris highlighted a sharp increase in Israeli migration to Cyprus amid wars in Gaza and Lebanon. “What I found were secretive, luxurious resorts that cater to and pamper affluent Israelis,” Lascaris wrote, criticising what he described as a “silent occupation” of Cyprus as settlers leave occupied Palestinian territories en masse.
His report noted that at the Third Zionist Congress in 1899, Zionist leader David Trietsch had proposed Cyprus as an initial site for Jewish settlement before establishing Israel. Although that plan was shelved, historian accounts reveal Theodor Herzl saw Cyprus as a strategic gateway for Zionism.
Today, the Jewish population in Cyprus is estimated to have reached 12,000, doubling from 6,500 in 2018. The surge has been fuelled by three waves of migration: the COVID-19 pandemic, political turmoil over judicial reforms in Israel, and the current Gaza war. Cyprus' proximity, favourable climate, and EU membership have further accelerated the trend.
Passengers are seen at Ben Gurion International Airport, southeast of Tel Aviv, the Israeli-occupied territories, on April 4, 2024. (Photo via social media)
Silent Occupation Concerns
Lascaris’ investigation also revealed that Israeli companies exploit legal loopholes to acquire land in Northern Cyprus by registering as Turkish Cypriot-owned entities, allowing them to bypass property purchase limits imposed on foreign firms. Analysts say this strategy has enabled Israeli businesses to amass thousands of acres with minimal regulatory scrutiny.
The situation is compounded by geopolitical concerns. Cyprus hosts a major UK military base at Akrotiri, used to support Israeli operations in Gaza, with aircraft reportedly launching strikes from the island.
Rising living costs in Israel, Netanyahu’s judicial reforms, and escalating regional conflicts have driven emigration from Israel. According to Maariv newspaper, 40,000 Israelis emigrated in the first seven months of 2024 alone – three times higher than pre-war levels – with 2,000 people leaving each month.
As the Crown Iris docks in Ashdod with returning citizens, the broader question remains: will many of those who fled to Cyprus return permanently to Israel, or has the island become their new home in the shadow of regional upheavals?
