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Stop ‘Greater Israel’ to make peace
TL;DR
The US and Iran have reached a framework to end their war, including reopening the Strait of Hormuz and stopping violence in Lebanon. The conflict is rooted in the controversial idea of 'Greater Israel', which has fueled multiple wars in the region.
Key points
- US and Iran agreed to a framework to end their war
- Strait of Hormuz to reopen and bombing of Lebanon to stop
- Conflict rooted in the idea of 'Greater Israel'
- Concept has fueled wars in Iraq, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Iran
- Key figures include Netanyahu, Smotrich, and Ben-Gvir
Mentioned in this story
United StatesIranBenjamin NetanyahuBezalel SmotrichItamar Ben-Gvir
On June 14, the United States and Iran agreed to a framework to end their war. The Strait of Hormuz is to reopen, the bombing of Lebanon is to end and – most importantly – the killing is to stop. After more than 100 days of war that killed thousands, including Iran’s most senior leaders, and pushed the world economy to the brink, even a fragile truce feels like first light.
Let us welcome it, but also let us understand it. To grasp why this war happened, and the string of wars before it, we must name their common cause. That cause is “Greater Israel” – not the country of Israel but an idea of it – a terrible one. The idea of “Greater Israel” has been the cause of wars in Iraq, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Iran.
It holds that Israel should stretch over all of historic Palestine – from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea – and to parts of neighbouring countries as well. According to United States Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, a fundamentalist Protestant whose geopolitical compass is set by biblical texts from 500 BC, “Greater Israel” stretches from the Nile to the Euphrates. Last summer, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu professed to be “very” attached to a vision of “Greater Israel” that, he said, takes in the Palestinian territories and neighbouring Arab lands.
This absurd and dangerous doctrine has two parents. The first are secular hardliners like Netanyahu who say that Israel must control all the land from the river to the sea to be safe, and damn the eight million Palestinians in the way.
The second is the Jewish supremacist creed of Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir that God gave the land to the Jews alone: There is, in Smotrich’s words, “no such thing as a Palestinian”. Asked recently how Israel should answer its collapsing global standing, Smotrich vowed Israel would not relinquish military control of the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanese or Syrian territory: “We won’t commit suicide to make them happy.”
“Greater Israel” is paranoia, megalomania and religious zeal braided into a single programme. The doctrine should have been repudiated on its first airing decades ago. Instead, it has driven Israel’s foreign and military doctrine for three decades – and has survived until today because Netanyahu has taken the US for a ride.
He has done it with two American constituencies: Jewish Zionists who love Israel and will forgive it anything and Christian Zionists who love the prophecy of the End Times and the Second Coming of Christ more than they love any living Palestinian or, for that matter, any living Israeli.
Delusion has led on to delusion, and the road has run from one war to the next. We are 30 years into this fiasco now.
Q&A
What is the framework agreed upon by the US and Iran on June 14?
The framework includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz, ending the bombing of Lebanon, and stopping the killing in the region.
How has the concept of 'Greater Israel' contributed to regional conflicts?
'Greater Israel' is viewed as a justification for wars in Iraq, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Iran, promoting the idea that Israel should control all historic Palestine and parts of neighboring countries.
Who are the key political figures associated with the idea of 'Greater Israel'?
Key figures include Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who advocate for Israeli control over extensive territories.
What impact has the ongoing conflict had on the global economy?
The war has pushed the world economy to the brink, highlighting the significant global repercussions of the conflict.
