Day after day, the picture becomes clearer, and the conviction grows stronger that Israel’s ambitions to control, in one way or another, the “biblical” region stretching from the Nile to the Euphrates are not an illusion or a mirage, but a reality. Everything is currently aligned, in this view, for the realization of Israel’s ambitions. The weakness and fragmentation affecting some Arab countries are seen as factors that serve this, along with the strong American support for the policies and demands of Netanyahu’s government in a way unprecedented in the history of the two countries. Israel’s expansion at the expense of some Arab countries and the construction of dozens of settlements in the occupied territories have been met with silence from the international community.
Even Israel’s recent incursion into parts of Lebanese territory, along with bulldozing operations and the destruction of dozens of villages in southern Lebanon, has been met with limited condemnation and protest, both at the Arab and international levels. Palestinian journalist Noura Odeh, a BBC correspondent, stated that the Greater Israel project is not merely a biblical vision or a Zionist dream, but also an ideological concept embraced by early Zionists despite their limited religious observance.
They, according to this view, selectively used biblical texts to advance their vision. Even the Israeli left, historically less supportive of the idea, has become more open to it as prospects for imposing sanctions on Israel diminish. Due to this international silence, Netanyahu has become convinced that the time has come to advance this idea. The US Ambassador Huckabee stated that the land of Israel, stretching from the Euphrates to the Nile, is a Jewish right granted by God 3,000 years ago.
This declaration strengthened the Israeli government’s resolve to pursue its dream on a “now or never” basis. Daniel Levy, writer for The Guardian and a former Israeli peace negotiator in the Oslo II talks, as well as president of the US/Middle East Project, stated, “This goes beyond mere territorial acquisition to Netanyahu’s desire for Israel to become a regional superpower. His objectives in the war are to weaken Iran to the point of collapse. This is not the end of the campaign. The fighting will resume.
The complete elimination of Iran paves the way for a Greater Israel and an expansion of the territory Israel claims. This is the approach Israel has followed since its inception, with the displacement of Palestinians recently accelerating dramatically. Israel has devastated the Gaza Strip and reoccupied it, killing tens of thousands, destroying civilian infrastructure, and confining its population to just 12 percent of an already narrow territory.
What is happening in the West Bank is unprecedented since the Six-Day War of 1967. Israel has expanded its presence in Syria beyond the Golan Heights, which has been annexed. Israel is rebuilding an occupied territory in southern Lebanon, and perhaps annexing it. There are ministerial demands… Seriously, it is expanding all the way to Damascus.” Levi argues that Greater Israel should be viewed as a geopolitical and strategic concept as much as a regional one.
Acquiring and controlling territory is the obvious and easier part. Therefore, Netanyahu is seeking to achieve something far more ambitious and complex than mere territorial control, through a hegemonic project built on new alliances and backed by military force.
By Ahmad alsarraf
email: [email protected]
email: [email protected]