‘Trying to dominate’: In Cyprus, some fear Israel’s growing influence

Israel now reaches into Cyprus’s water, gas, health and defence and a number of Cypriots fear their island is losing control. Save Share Nicosia and Limassol, Cyprus– Heavily bearded and wearing a loose shirt collar, Christos Achniotis speaks about the history and demographics of Cyprus and runs off dates from memory. He was 16 when Turkish troops landed in Cyprus in mid-1974. At one point, Limassol has long had a large Russian community, he said, but that revolved around property investments. Now, he believes there is pressure from Israel, which he says is “trying to dominate as much as possible, land-wise, company-wise”, as well as politically and militarily. Israel’s reach in Cyprus now runs through the state’s most vital systems. Mekorot, Israel’s state water company, helps supply the island’s water. Israel Aerospace Industries, a state-owned arms maker, is supplying its new air defences. And Israeli firms run a growing hospital network and hold a stake in the country’s largest gasfield. Israel’s economy is about 15 times Cyprus’s, according to the World Bank, and Israel’s military spending is about 73 times that of Cyprus. Cyprus’s government presents the ties as a security alliance against Turkiye, but several Cypriots interviewed by Al Jazeera said they feared their country is handing another state control of systems it cannot live without. Israel is “a small area with big money and a big military”. Cyprus is strategically placed in the Mediterranean and, just a 35-minute flight away, is an attractive piece of land, said Achniotis. Cyprus gets about 80 percent of its drinking water from the sea. With its dams just 21 percent full in March, desalination plants supply most of what comes out of its taps, according to the Water Development Department. Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou said in June that desalination would cover almost all domestic demand by next year. Mekorot has joint ventures with Cypriot firm Netcom that run two of the island’s five permanent plants, at Larnaca and Episkopi, according to the Water Development Department. In August, Mekorot expanded its cooperation with Cyprus, signing a memorandum with the Nicosia District Water Board to help manage water and sewerage in the capital. For Danae Laou, who works in hospitality in Limassol, the water deals crossed a line. “It’s terrifying to see, but at the same time, we have no power,” she said. Today’s occupation of Palestine is in part facilitated by control of vital resources....