Nicosia, Cyprus. Defence ministry permanent secretary Andreas Kountouris on Monday attended a ceremony marking the 77th anniversary of the closure of the last detention camps set up by British colonial authorities in Cyprus for Jewish people bound for Palestine. He delivered a speech on behalf of Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas and began by condemning the Holocaust.
Holocaust condemnation and international responsibility
Kountouris said the mass extermination of millions of Jews during the Holocaust, combined with entrenched antisemitism shaping the policies of several states for decades, showed the failure of the international community to protect the Jewish people.
Historical context of a Jewish homeland and Cyprus as refuge
He said the idea of creating a separate Jewish homeland emerged in the late 19th century within a European framework that favoured the crystallisation of nation states. He added that during Jewish refugees’ journey to a new homeland, Cyprus became a place of temporary refuge, and that the operation of British detention camps between 1946 and 1949 marked one of the last major chapters of the Jewish immigrant presence in Cyprus.
Numbers, local response, and births in the camps
Kountouris said more than 50,000 persecuted people passed through Cyprus between 1946 and 1949 and maintained their dignity while searching for hope. He praised the Cypriot people’s response, saying it demonstrated enduring solidarity and a deep humanitarian ethos in times of need. He also noted that 2,200 Jewish children were born in the camps.
Shared history, memory, and lessons for future generations
He described the children born in the camps as part of the shared history of Cyprus and Israel and said they serve as a reminder of resilience and of the duty to preserve memory. He said future generations should be taught that memory is a form of resistance against forgetting, racism, and intolerance, and that humanity must be cultivated, preserved, and consciously observed.
Call for peace, solidarity, and mutual respect
Kountouris said that as tribute is paid to those who maintained their dignity and hope under conditions of persecution and existential threat, efforts should continue toward a world where peace, solidarity, and mutual respect are foundations of society.
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