We Israelis love to fly abroad, especially to countries that are close by and are not trying to destroy us – but there is one country that even though it is less than an hour's flight from Ben Gurion, no flight from the national airport will bring you there, and you will not find many other countries through which you can reach it. In honor of Northern Cyprus' 40th Independence Day, we used ChatGPT, Forefront and Perplexity to learn a bit about one of the world's nearest, yet farthest destinations.
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was created following the Turkish invasion of the island in 1974, in response to a Greek military coup aimed at annexing Cyprus to Greece. The invasion divided the island along ethnic lines, with Turkish Cypriots inhabiting the north and Greek Cypriots in the south. On November 15, 1983, Northern Cyprus declared its independence – but only one country in the world recognized this declaration: Turkey, whose citizens inhabit the country in question and whose currency is used to pay for the residents.
In contrast, the international community recognizes only one Cypriot state – the one with a Greek ethnic identity. The UN condemned the Turkish occupation of Cyprus and called for withdrawal. However, unification talks held over the years have not led to a resolution of the conflict. Meanwhile, Northern Cyprus is excluded from inclusion in international organizations and conventions, and is under an ongoing embargo. Northern Cypriots face significant restrictions on freedom of movement and access to international institutions, and the government is entirely dependent on that of Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
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