Watan-Northern Cyprus has decided to restrict property sales to foreigners after Turkish media reports indicated that thousands of Israelis and Jews are buying properties there.
This move comes after a series of social media posts by Sabahaddin Ismail, a journalist who was an advisor to the former president of the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Rauf Denktash.
Since October and the beginning of the Israeli war on Gaza, Ismail has been publishing sales records showing that thousands of Jews from Israel and European countries have purchased homes and land.
Reports indicate that 35,000 Jews have bought properties in Northern Cyprus, covering an area of up to 2500 hectares. The population of Northern Cyprus is only 380,000 people, according to a report by the Middle East Eye.
Ersin Tatar, the current president of the administration of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, who is recognized by Western powers as the leader of the Turkish community on the island, expressed concern about this information. He stated that his security advisors are investigating the matter.
Tatar said, ‘We have some steps and measures that will be taken against these sales.’
Currently, foreigners have the right to purchase properties in Northern Cyprus, and they can buy up to five acres of land without a house.
Tatar stated that new restrictions will be imposed in response to information about Israelis and European Jews buying land in the region, adding, “A new regulation regarding the right to these five decares will be introduced.”
Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974 after a failed coup attempt to unify the island with Greece. Since then, Cyprus has been divided between the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus in the south and the Turkish Republic, recognized only by Ankara.
Israel has close ties with the Republic of Cyprus, but, similar to its relationship with Turkey, its relations with the predominantly Muslim Northern Cyprus are more complex.
Last month, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Çavuşoğlu cast doubt on reports of thousands of Israelis and Jews buying properties in Northern Cyprus during a parliamentary meeting. He stated that only 200 Israelis have applied to purchase properties in Northern Cyprus since 2000.
He added, “Israelis rank 12th among all countries. In the past five years alone, there have been a total of 15,000 requests to buy properties in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus from other countries, not from Israel.”
England has held the first position since 2000, and Iran took the top position in the last five years. He continued, “As you know, property sales to citizens of third countries in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus can only be conducted with the approval of the Council of Ministers,” using the name for the government of Northern Cyprus.
Two Laws to Regulate Sales
The Minister of Interior in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Dursun Oğuz, stated before the parliament in November that the government is specifically preparing two laws to regulate the sale of properties to foreign citizens.
Decisions by the Council of Ministers could allow foreigners to purchase properties from Northern Cypriots without registering the sale officially. Oğuz stated that this creates a “security loophole in the country.”
He added that a law would be presented to parliament to register sales that have not been officially recorded.
It is worth noting that following the Al-Aqsa flood on October 7 and the Israeli war on Gaza, there were reports of an increase in hatred towards members of the Jewish community in Northern Cyprus.
Cyprus media reported that Rabbi Haim Hilail Azimov, who settled in Northern Cyprus with his wife around 2006, left for the United States last month. It was said they left in response to information that the rabbi collaborated with Israeli intelligence.
Azimov, who raised his five children in Northern Cyprus, was the leader of the Hassidic Jewish Habad community in the region. Azimov used the rented villa in Kyrenia as a residence and place of worship.
Following the escalation of the war and increased reactions to the Israeli massacre of Palestinian civilians, the police placed the villa under surveillance for protection, according to a report by Kıbrıslı Gazetesi.
Azimov’s villa had a sign outside in Hebrew stating that the house is the “address for all Jews in Northern Cyprus.” However, authorities deemed the sign unauthorized after complaints, and Kyrenia Municipal Police, along with regular police, covered the sign with a green canvas, as reported by Kıbrıslı Gazetesi.