Zionists have always set their sights on Cyprus...

I had intended to write a column about the increasingly growing Zionist Jewish population in Cyprus in recent years. After completing my reading, I noted down on the Saturday, September 5 page of my agenda: "Subject: Israel-Cyprus." (I determine my column topics in advance this way and record them in my agenda. Unless there is an urgent development, I stick to my plan. This way, my mind operates within a certain order.) Then, last Saturday—August 29—I saw, with a beautiful coincidence, that this important topic had been brought to our newspaper's front page. Therefore, there was no longer any need for me to write about the current aspect of the matter. However, I will share a few points regarding the historical background from my notes:

The most heated debates at the Third Zionist Congress, held in Basel, Switzerland, on August 15-18, 1899, occurred when German-born American Jew Davis Trietsch proposed Cyprus as a "temporary homeland" for Jews instead of Palestine. A significant portion of the delegates opposed this idea so furiously that, despite the efforts of session chairman Theodor Herzl to calm the atmosphere, Trietsch was forced to step down from the podium before completing his speech.

Born in Dresden, Germany, completing his education in Berlin, and then immigrating to New York, Davis Trietsch had specialized in his academic work in the US on Jewish migration and the history of diaspora Jews in different countries around the world. Trietsch, who first put forward the idea of Jews settling in Cyprus in 1895, elaborated on his thoughts in his 1899 book "The Future of Cyprus." According to Trietsch, the Jewish settlement of Cyprus was perfectly compatible with Great Britain's imperial goals, the Jews' own future, and the interests of the island's native Muslim and Christian population. Trietsch argued that Jews would develop Cyprus especially in economic, social, and cultural terms, and that everyone would benefit.

Although the congress delegates did not allow Davis Trietsch to complete his speech, Cyprus held an important place in the modern history of Jewish colonization in the Middle East:

When the British Empire leased Cyprus from the Ottoman state in 1878, the London-based Jewish newspaper The Jewish Chronicle commented: "Cyprus was once the home of a prosperous and cultured Jewish community. Why not again?" In 1883, a Jewish colony was established at Koukla, a coastal town in Paphos, at the southwestern tip of the island, settled by refugees from Russia. It was followed in 1885 by the Köprülü and Çömlekçi colonies near Famagusta. Between 1892 and 1897, several more settlements appeared along the Larnaca-Nicosia line. In 1897, the 380-dunam Margo Farm, focused on agriculture and livestock, was established by Jews southeast of Nicosia. Today, this location is south of Nicosia Ercan Airport, between the villages of Kırklar and Gaziler. Since it is a military zone, access is subject to official permission. The most prominent trace left by the Jews in the area is a cemetery whose headstones still remain. Many of the Jews buried there died from malaria, which was very common in Cyprus at that time.

Cyprus continued to occupy a central position in the modern Jewish adventure:

After Palestine came under British mandate rule, the last Jews at Margo Farm left Cyprus in 1928. From 1939 onward, the British used the island as a temporary camp for Jews fleeing Europe. Since Jewish immigration to Palestine was restricted at that time, at least 52,000 Jewish refugees passed through Cyprus until Israel was established. Decades later, from the early 2000s onward, Cyprus would once again become one of the Jews' favored destinations. The proposals that were angrily received in 1899 are now being encouraged and supported. The Zionist mind views Cyprus as a "backup haven." All steps taken are directed toward this end.

In my column on Ratko Mladić published in this space on Wednesday, I emphasized "memory." Cyprus gives us the same message: While the occupier's memory is constantly alive, we do not have the luxury of suffering from memory loss.