Israeli ‘enclaves’ on Cyprus spark concerns of ‘permanent settler colonialism’
Israeli investors are building gated communities and luxury resorts on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.
Some Cypriots fear the changing landscape could push locals out and widen the island’s existing divisions.
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May 10, 2026
Israel is buying Cyprus through growing land acquisitions
A Southern Cypriot EU lawmaker has warned that growing Israeli investment and property acquisitions in Cyprus risk altering the island’s social and economic character.
“Israel is buying Cyprus” through increasing land purchases and development projects carried out by Israeli investors and companies, Fidias Panayiotou said on Saturday through US social media company X.
Panayiotou said foreign investments had risen significantly in recent years, particularly in the real estate and land development sectors, with Israelis becoming among the most prominent buyers.
“The problem is that we are dependent on Israeli investment for our economy to go well,” he said, arguing that concentrated property purchases were creating “closed residential circles in specific areas.”
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Israeli demolitions in Negev displace 400 Palestinians
Israeli authorities have demolished 80 structures in the Bedouin village of al-Dahiya in the Negev Desert, claiming they were built without permits.
Rahat’s mayor says the demolitions have displaced about 400 Palestinians, leaving families facing uncertainty over where to find shelter.
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Israel preparing for PA-backed violence in West Bank: Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu says his government is “preparing for a scenario in which Palestinian Authority forces turn their guns against Israel in the West Bank”.
Netanyahu made the comments in a video posted on his official X account, saying Israel will extend its complete control across all of the occupied West Bank.
“There will be no Arab army west of the Jordan River. There will be only be the [Israeli military]”, he said.
As recently as 2024, PA security forces have conducted extended military operations against armed Palestinian groups opposed to the Israeli government.
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