Bridging the Mideast aisle
BEN HUBBARD
They eat falafel, live on the Mediterranean and worry that a new war could erupt across the hostile border that separates them. But many Israelis and Lebanese share something else: a desire to circumvent their respective religious authorities when getting married.
In both Lebanon and Israel, only religious leaders can perform marriages, so lovers who wish to keep the rabbis, sheikhs, priests and pastors out of their love life have to tie the knot elsewhere.
That has been a boon for this sun-drenched beach town on the southern coast of Cyprus, where the municipal authorities provide fast civil marriages to anyone who shows up, provides the right paperwork and pays the fee.
And since most of those taking advantage of the local civil marriage industry are from Israel and Lebanon, the marriage bureau — in a modest, accidental way — bridges one of the Middle East’s deep divides.
On any given day, lovers from the enemy nations stand in line together, offer one another congratulations and sometimes socialize unwittingly in the municipal coffee shop while waiting for their appointments to wed.
Officials in Larnaka are aware of the tension between Israel and Lebanon, the result of numerous wars over the decades, but say it has never caused problems at the marriage bureau.
Cyprus owes its rise as an international marriage destination to geography, economics and law. Its airports receive direct flights from cities across Europe and the Middle East, its prices are good and its laws permit foreigners to contract marriages with no clerics involved.
And its palm-studded beaches, historic sites and abundant hotels are inducements for couples to start honeymooning as soon as the ink on their marriage contract is dry.
About 7,000 marriages a year are conducted in Cyprus, according to the Cyprus Tourist Organization. While European lovers prefer more picturesque towns elsewhere on the island, Israelis and Lebanese tend toward Larnaka, which can be reached by air from both Tel Aviv and Beirut in less than an hour.
The trip is so easy that couples who are short on cash or time often arrive in the morning, get hitched and fly home in the evening, squeezing in a fancy lunch or a beach visit if they can.
The bureau itself is in a historic building near the town centre that has been converted into a museum and art gallery.
Two hardworking women handle the business side, fielding emails from interested couples from a range of countries, vetting their paperwork and assigning appointments for ceremonies. Their office alone handled1,110 marriages in 2017, said Paraskevi Anastasiou, a marriage officer. She expects the number to rise this year.
Those wishing to marry must provide birth certificates, prove they are not married to anyone else and pay a fee.