Netanyahu accelerates the construction of Greater Israel

The same day that the ceasefire between the United States and Iran entered into force, the Israeli army intensified its attacks on Lebanon. In just ten minutes, more than 160 bombs fell on Lebanese territory, leaving more than 300 dead in a single day. The deadliest attack in decades. Added to this situation is the Israeli military presence in the south of the country for weeks, with the stated objective of creating a supposed "security zone" against the Hezbollah group up to the Litani River, about thirty kilometers from Israel's northern border. In this context, with several fronts open by Israel, not only in Lebanon, but also in Gaza and the West Bank, and with both air attacks and military presence on the ground, an idea that has been hovering over the region since the origin of the Zionist movement is gaining strength again: that of building the so-called Greater Israel.The concept of Greater Israel, inspired by the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible, speaks of a territory that would extend from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates, a vision already evoked at the end of the 19th century by Theodor Herzl, considered the father of political Zionism. In practical terms, it would imply that Israel would incorporate the Palestinian territories, Lebanon, Jordan, parts of Syria, Iraq, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia as its own. That is, about 25% of the Middle East. In this scenario, Israel would go from the current 20,770 km² of surface area, recognized by the international community, to controlling about 500,000.The idea of Greater Israel is also found in the early days of the State of Israel. In 1947, Zionist leaders initially accepted the UN partition plan, with one Palestinian territory and another Jewish one, but then Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion made it clear at the time that he considered it only a first step: “After the formation of a large army following the creation of the state, we will abolish the partition and expand.” In 1948, this was partly realized with the Nakba, when about 750,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes.The movement gained more strength after the 1967 war, when Israel took control of the West Bank and Gaza, the Sinai Peninsula (Egypt), and the Golan Heights (Syria), territories it continues to occupy today, with the exception of Sinai, returned to Egypt in 1982. From that moment on, the concept of Greater Israel gained relevance, especially among religious Zionists, who considered these territories a God-given right.Since the arrival to power of the current Israeli government in 2022, and especially after the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, several analysts point out that references to Greater Israel have become more frequent and visible.Netanyahu's objective

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated on several occasions that he identifies with it “fully”, and last year he even said that it is a historic and spiritual mission. According to Avi Shlaim, Professor of International Relations at St. Antony’s College, Oxford, Netanyahu is pursuing “the dream of Greater Israel”, within “the most right-wing, xenophobic, messianic and openly racist government in Israel’s history”. In fact, in 2025 the Israeli parliament approved a non-binding motion calling for the annexation of all of the West Bank, declaring it an “inseparable part of the Land of Israel”.Along the same lines, Defense Minister Israel Katz has repeatedly announced that Israeli forces will remain indefinitely in parts of Gaza, Syria, and Lebanon, with the justification of creating "security zones." Furthermore, one of the main proponents of Greater Israel, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a couple of years ago displayed a map that included Israel, the West Bank, and all of Jordan as Israeli territory. Since then, he has repeatedly advocated for the annexation of the West Bank and has even suggested an expansion that would include Damascus, the capital of Syria.The opposition also supports it

The idea of Greater Israel is also not questioned by the opposition to the government. The main opposition leader, Yair Lapid, argued before the start of the war against Iran that territorial expansion based on "biblical" criteria should be made, despite having supported the two-state solution in the past.“Israel is expanding its borders and moving outside its own Israeli territory. In Gaza it controls 53% of the territory; in Lebanon it is at least 8 or 10 kilometers north of the Blue Line [border Unlike in 1967, when these ideas were more confined to some branches of religious Zionism, today they have a greater presence in various sectors of Israeli society. “It has become a more central idea due to political and social changes, with a shift to the right after Hamas's attacks and a greater influence of settlers in the media, the army, and the government,” concludes Bregman.