Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reignited controversy by publicly endorsing the vision of a Greater Israel, a concept rooted in biblical and Talmudic narratives that has long been associated with expansionist ambitions.
In a striking moment at the UN General Assembly on September 22, 2023, Netanyahu unveiled a map of Israel that included both Gaza and the West Bank, signaling a bold reassertion of territorial claims. The idea of Greater Israel has been championed by the Israeli far-right, notably Bezalel Smotrich, leader of the Religious Zionism party and current finance minister.
In 2016, Smotrich declared that Israel's borders should extend to Damascus and encompass parts of six Arab countries - Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia - reviving the Zionist dream of a state stretching from the Nile to the Euphrates. Smotrich reiterated this vision in a 2023 speech in Paris, standing beside a map that depicted Eretz Israel as including historical Palestine and Jordan.
The term Greater Israel refers to various expansionist interpretations, some limited to historical Palestine and others extending into neighboring Arab territories. The concept gained traction after the 1967 Six-Day War, when Israel occupied the West Bank, Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem, Sinai Peninsula, and Golan Heights. However, its ideological roots trace back to Revisionist Zionism, led by Zeev Jabotinsky - spiritual father of Netanyahu's Likud party - that advocated for a Jewish homeland encompassing both sides of the Jordan River. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump share something in common.
They are both unreligious, but benefit politically from aligning themselves with fundamentalists. Benjamin Netanyahu belongs to the secular wing of the Jewish community. Netanyahu's ancestry is European. His mother's parents came from Lithuania, and his father, Benzion Mileikowsky, came from Poland.
While Netanyahu is not known for religious observance, he has used Ultra-Orthodox parties to stay in power, and avoid jail on corruption charges. Should he agree to finalize a hostage ceasefire deal in Gaza, he risks losing the support of his far-right coalition partners, Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionism party and Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit party.
Both have long threatened to exit the coalition if the war against Hamas is brought to an end, which would end the political life of Netanyahu. According to Trump's biographers, and associates, he has never been described as a religious person. He has been in church usually for a wedding, or a funeral.
According to polls, most Americans don't view Trump as religious, and less than half label him as Christian. In October 2020, Trump declared that he was a non-denominational Christian. Trump pandered to the Evangelical Christians in America, who follow Christian Zionism. They believe that Israel must be blindly supported in order to usher in the second-coming of Jesus.
Zionism is a political movement invented by Theodor Herzl (1860-1904), who was regarded as a secular Jew. From 1897 to 1917, the movement sought to colonize Palestine, to establish a homeland for Jews. Herzl wanted Jewish people to have their own nation that would solve the problem of anti-Semitism in Europe.
Palestine had been under the control of the Muslim Ottoman Empire since the 1800s. Before 1917, Jews, Christians and Muslims lived together in peace. It was the fight for Israeli independence, at the expense of the original inhabitants, that destabilized the region, and there has never been a moment of peace since.
Netanyahu's remarks have triggered a wave of condemnation across the Arab and Islamic world. In a joint statement, foreign ministers and leaders from over 30 countries - including Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Turkey - denounced the statements as a blatant violation of international law and a direct threat to regional and global peace.
Egypt's Foreign Ministry demanded clarification, warning that such rhetoric undermines stability and rejects peaceful solutions. Jordan labeled the comments provocative and dangerous, while Qatar described them as part of an arrogant and destabilizing occupation strategy. The Gulf Cooperation Council's Secretary-General, Jasem Albudaiwi, condemned the statements as a flagrant breach of the UN Charter and an assault on the sovereignty of nations.
He emphasized the need for a unified international response to counter such expansionist agendas. During a televised interview with Israel's i24 channel, Netanyahu affirmed his support for the Greater Israel vision, calling it a spiritual and historical mission.
He reflected on the legacy of Israel's founding generation and his role in ensuring its continuity. The interview sparked intense debate on social media, with Arab commentators warning of Israel's expansionist ambitions. Palestinian politician Mustafa Barghouti questioned the Arab world's silence, while Egyptian media figures described Netanyahu's statements as reckless and destabilizing.
Military developments have added to the tension. The Israeli army recently announced plans to occupy Gaza City, aligning with Netanyahu's political rhetoric and raising concerns about further escalation. Netanyahu's statements have reignited fears of regional destabilization and cast doubt on the viability of existing peace agreements.
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