"Trying to dominate": how Israel embeds itself in Cyprus

Israel now controls Cyprus' water, gas, sanitation and defense, and many Cypriots fear that their island will lose control.

Nicosia and Limassol, Cyprus - Christos Achinotis, heavily bearded and wearing a loose shirt collar, talks about the history and population of Cyprus, recalling the dates.

He was 16 years old when Turkish forces entered Cyprus in mid-1974. At one point, Limassol has long had a large Russian community, he said, but it revolved around real estate investment.

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end of list Now, he believes, there is pressure from Israel, which he says is "trying to dominate as much as possible, territorially, corporately" as well as politically and militarily.

Israel's access to Cyprus now passes through the country's most vital systems.

Mekorot, Israel's state water company, helps supply the island with water. Israel Aerospace Industries, a state-owned arms manufacturer, is supplying its new air defenses. And Israeli companies run a growing hospital network and have stakes in the country's largest gas field.

According to the World Bank, Israel's economy is 15 times that of Cyprus, and Israel's military spending is about 73 times that of Cyprus.

The Cypriot government presents the relationship as a security alliance against Turkey, but several Cypriots interviewed by Al Jazeera said they feared their country would cede control of its systems to another government.

Israel is "a small region with big money and a big army". Achinotis said Cyprus is strategically located on the Mediterranean Sea and is an attractive piece of land just a 35-minute flight away.

Cyprus gets about 80% of its drinking water from the sea.

With dams only 21 percent full in March, desalination plants supply most of what comes out of the taps, according to the Department of Water Development.

Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou said in June that desalination would cover almost all domestic demand by next year.

According to the Department of Water Development, Makurot has a joint venture with Cypriot company Netcom, which operates two of the island's five permanent plants in Larnaca and Episkopi. In August, Mekurt expanded its cooperation with Cyprus, signing a memorandum of understanding with the Nicosia District Water Board to help manage water and wastewater in the capital.

For Danae Laou, who works in hospitality in Limassol, water deals cross the border.

"It's horrible to see, but at the same time, we have no power," he said.

Today's occupation of Palestine is partly facilitated by the control of vital resources. "I can see the same thing happening here," he said.

In the occupied West Bank, the company is on the United Nations list of businesses linked to illegal Israeli settlements.

Najla Abdellatif Wallander, a Swedish-Palestinian environmentalist who founded Zero Waste Palestine, has followed Makurot's work in Palestine and abroad, telling Al Jazeera that its operations in the West Bank are akin to "water theft" that diverts Palestinian resources to illegal Israeli settlements.

He said: "Israeli settlers can use an almost unlimited amount of water, while Palestinians are not allowed to use their water resources.

Palestinians "must buy back their water resources from Mekurut" and are mostly prohibited from drilling their own wells. "This is blue apartheid," he said.

Mekurt had not responded to Al Jazeera's request for comment at the time of publication.

Israel's economic footprint has grown rapidly.

Investors in Israel had 5.1 billion euros ($5.7 billion) invested in Cyprus at the end of 2024, more than six times more than in 2017, according to a report by the Central Bank of Cyprus.

The true figure may be higher because the data excludes Israelis living in Cyprus or elsewhere, who may miss out on money funneled through companies whose owners are hard to trace.

The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange is also considering a bid for the Cyprus Stock Exchange, which the government is privatizing, the Cyprus Mail and Israeli business newspaper Globes reported this month.

A source close to the Cyprus Finance Ministry told the Cyprus Mail that the EU license of the Cyprus exchange would give Israel "greater access to the Eurozone market".

Hadassah Medical Center Limassol, the Israeli hospital group's first facility in Europe, began seeing patients in July and officially opened on Thursday.

Its opening was approved in Israel by the governing bodies of Hadassah, including the Zionist Organization of Hadassah Women of America.

According to the documents published in the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, Israel's Neomed Energy owns 30% of the Aphrodite gas field.

The two governments are also negotiating a field that Israel says extends into its waters.

Israel has also increased its military power.

According to Israel's Institute for National Security Studies, Israeli special forces trained in the Troodos Mountains of Cyprus, whose terrain is similar to southern Lebanon.

The Jerusalem Post reported that in 2022, the two armies held their largest joint exercise, simulating a war with Hezbollah.

Cyprus is replacing its Russian-made air defense system with the Barak MX made by Israel Aerospace Industries, with deliveries starting in late 2024.

Israel presents itself as a guardian against Turkey.

After a coup in Cyprus supported by the Greek military government in July 1974, Türkiye invaded the island and has occupied the northern part ever since. Only Türkiye and the Turkish Cypriot leadership recognize that Northern Cyprus.

In late December 2025, Israeli and Cypriot military officials signed a 2026 cooperation plan that includes joint exercises, training and "strategic military dialogue," the IDF said.

On Tuesday, a pro-Israel group, the Israel Allies Foundation (IAF), launched a group of six Cypriot lawmakers from three parties in Nicosia. Its head, Reinstein, told reporters after the group's meeting with the Cypriot president at the presidential palace on Wednesday that Turkey is a "common enemy," according to the Cyprus Mail.