Excerpt: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just said out loud what many long suspected: he feels “very” attached to a vision of “Greater Israel.” When you line that up with years of annexations, settlement expansion, open talk of “voluntary migration” from Gaza, and near-daily strikes across the region, the pattern is no longer deniable. This isn’t a fringe theory—it’s a governing project with real-world consequences for millions. [1][2][3]
Photo caption/credit: Screenshot of i24NEWS interview in which interviewer Sharon Gal presents an amulet with a “Promised Land/Greater Israel” map to Benjamin Netanyahu, August 12, 2025. Credit: i24NEWS, via Times of Israel. [1]
“Do you feel connected to the idea of Greater Israel?”
Netanyahu: “Very much.” [2]
From dog-whistle to doctrine
For decades, “Greater Israel” sat at the blurry edge of politics and myth. This week, Israel’s sitting prime minister pulled it into plain view. In an i24NEWS interview, Benjamin Netanyahu described himself as being on a “historic and spiritual mission,” and when pressed about Greater Israel, he affirmed he felt “very” connected to it. The Times of Israel summarized the exchange and the imagery—an amulet bearing a “Promised Land” map—used to tee up the question. [1][2]
Netanyahu isn’t alone. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich previously spoke from a podium emblazoned with a “Greater Israel” map that swallowed Jordan and the occupied West Bank, while denying Palestinians exist as a people—moves that drew formal protests from Jordan and regional outrage. [4][5][6] Just yesterday, Smotrich revived the contentious E-1 settlement plan many diplomats call a “two-state solution killer,” with his office casting it as a step to “bury the idea of a Palestinian state.” [7]
The policy machinery behind the vision
The rhetoric marries a long record of facts on the ground:
- Annexations and “basic laws.” Israel’s 1980 Jerusalem Law and 1981 Golan Heights Law attempted to fold occupied territory into Israel proper. The UN Security Council declared both moves “null and void” (Res. 478 on Jerusalem; Res. 497 on the Golan). [8][9][10]
- Settlements as state strategy. There are ~700,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem today. The UN and rights groups consistently deem the enterprise illegal; UNSC 2334 reaffirmed settlements have “no legal validity.” [11][12][13]
- Permanent control of Gaza by other means. Twenty years after “disengagement,” Israel has re-entered and now controls over 75% of Gaza, with ministers promoting “voluntary migration” for Palestinians and a plan to take control of Gaza City—even as military leaders and allies warn of catastrophe. [3][14][15]
- Regional strikes as routine. Israel has repeatedly bombed targets in Syria (airports, defense sites, even Iran’s consular building in Damascus), and the border conflict with Lebanon has simmered alongside the Gaza war. [16][17][18][19]
When leaders say “Greater Israel” and do all this, the line between ideology and state policy effectively disappears.
STAT CALLOUT
West Bank & East Jerusalem
700,000 Israeli settlers amid 2.7 million Palestinians. Settlements deemed illegal under international law (UN/UNSC 2334). [11][12]
Gaza
Entire population facing crisis or worse food insecurity; ~470,000 in Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5) by mid-2025 if conditions persist (IPC/WHO). [20][21][22]
Netanyahu on Greater Israel
Says he’s on a “historic and spiritual mission,” “very” attached to the vision. [1][2]
“Managing” Gaza: starvation, displacement, and “voluntary migration”
International courts and humanitarian bodies have been blunt. In January 2024, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to prevent genocidal acts and incitement and to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza; it repeated and sharpened those orders in May 2024. [23][24] This summer, the IPC and WHO warned of “worst-case” famine unfolding, with one in five Gazans facing starvation and famine-level indicators in parts of the Strip. [20][21][22]
Despite those warnings, Netanyahu has continued to tout “voluntary migration”—widely criticized as code for forced displacement—while backing plans for extended military control inside Gaza. [14][15] The Associated Press reports Israel now exerts control over most of the enclave after nearly two years of war, with broad swaths reduced to rubble. [3]
“The entire population is facing high levels of acute food insecurity… 470,000 people (22%) in Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5).” —IPC Snapshot, May–Sept 2025 [20]
West Bank: the pre-annexation playbook
In the occupied West Bank, expanding settlements, settler violence, and road networks that carve up Palestinian areas replicate a slow-motion annexation. The UN reports thousands forcibly displaced due to settler attacks and access restrictions since 2023. [25][26] In parallel, moves like E-1 and steady outpost “legalizations” aim to sever East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank—precisely the Greater Israel cartography Smotrich flashed in Paris. [4][5][7]
“Israel’s settlements have no legal validity and constitute a flagrant violation of international law.” —UN Security Council Resolution 2334 [12]
From 1948 to now: a through-line of expansion
Critics argue Israel has behaved as a rogue expansionist power since its founding—citing the 1948 mass displacement (the Nakba), the 1956 Sinai invasion, the 1967 occupation of the West Bank, Gaza, East Jerusalem, and Golan, and subsequent annexation attempts and settlement networks built atop military rule. Whether or not you accept the descriptor, the institutional record—UN resolutions, court orders, and human rights documentation—shows a consistent pattern of territorial maximalism enforced by superior arms and administrative controls. [8][9][10][11][12][13]
And now, the prime minister himself has said the quiet part out loud.
Why this matters beyond maps
Talk of “Greater Israel” isn’t just provocative cartography. It signals intent: to permanently control or absorb territories well beyond Israel’s 1949–1967 armistice lines (and, in maximalist renderings, beyond even the 1967 captures) while displacing or subjugating the native population. The immediate effects are measurable—on hunger, health, freedom of movement, property rights, and the possibility of any Palestinian self-determination.
A moral frame that predates this conflict
Shi’a thinkers who spotlight universal resistance to tyranny offer a vocabulary for this moment. The oft-invoked phrase—“Every day is Ashura, every land is Karbala”—popularized by Ali Shariati and echoed by Imam Khomeini—insists that the struggle against oppression is continuous and universal, not confined to one time or place. [27][28][29] Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has repeatedly condemned the onslaught in Gaza and urged concrete action to end the siege and protect civilians. [30][31]
“Every day is Ashura; every land is Karbala.” —attributed in modern usage to Shariati/Khomeini (on resisting injustice everywhere) [27][28]
You don’t need to be Shi’a—or religious—to grasp the point: the test of our ethics is what we tolerate when we have the power to speak or act.
Where this goes next
Some will say Netanyahu doesn’t mean literal borders from the Nile to the Euphrates. Maybe. But that’s beside the point. What is being done—in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, and Lebanon—fits the logic of the “Greater Israel” project: expand control, shrink Palestinian life, and normalize it through law, force, and fatigue.
The old dismissal—that’s a conspiracy theory—no longer works when the most powerful officials in Israel are saying it, mapping it, and building it in real time.
Pull-quote
“It’s not a fringe fantasy anymore. It’s policy by other names.”
Sources & citations
[1] Times of Israel, liveblog entry: “Netanyahu says he’s on a ‘historic and spiritual mission,’ also feels a connection to vision of Greater Israel,” Aug 12, 2025. https://www.timesofisrael.com/… The Times of Israel
[2] Times of Israel: “Arab nations fume after Netanyahu says he feels connection to vision of Greater Israel,” Aug 13, 2025. https://www.timesofisrael.com/… The Times of Israel
[3] Associated Press: “20 years after its landmark withdrawal from Gaza, Israel is mired there,” Aug 15, 2025. https://apnews.com/… AP News
[4] Axios: “Jordan condemns Smotrich over ‘Greater Israel’ map,” Mar 20, 2023. https://www.axios.com/… Axios
[5] Al Jazeera: “Arab states condemn Israeli minister’s ‘no Palestinians’ remark,” Mar 21, 2023. https://www.aljazeera.com/… Al Jazeera
[6] The New Arab: “Netanyahu’s ‘Greater Israel’ remarks set off Egyptian fury,” Aug 14, 2025. https://www.newarab.com/… The New Arab
[7] Reuters: “Smotrich approves settlement in bid to ‘bury’ idea of Palestinian state,” Aug 14, 2025. https://www.reuters.com/… Reuters
[8] UNSC Resolution 478 (1980), on the Jerusalem Law. UN text/background. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem (summary); see also scholarly/legal explainers. Wikipedia
[9] UNSC Resolution 497 (1981), on the Golan annexation: UN/official PDFs. https://docs.un.org/… and Yale Avalon text. UN DocumentationAvalon Project
[10] UN GA reiterations on the occupied Syrian Golan. https://www.refworld.org/… Refworld
[11] Reuters: “UN rights office: Israeli settlement plan breaks international law,” Aug 15, 2025 (context & figures). https://www.reuters.com/… Reuters
[12] UNSC Resolution 2334 (2016) text: “no legal validity” of settlements. https://www.un.org/… (PDF). United Nations
[13] Amnesty International primer on settlement illegality (context). https://www.amnesty.org/… Amnesty International
[14] Reuters: “Israel approves plan to take control of Gaza City,” Aug 7, 2025. https://www.reuters.com/… Reuters
[15] AP: “Israeli gunfire kills at least 25 in Gaza as Netanyahu touts ‘voluntary migration’,” Aug 13, 2025. https://apnews.com/… AP News
[16] Reuters: “Israel shifts to deadlier strikes on Iran-linked targets in Syria,” Jan 9, 2024; and Reuters: Damascus strikes July 16, 2025. https://www.reuters.com/…; https://www.reuters.com/… Reuters+1
[17] Reuters: “Syria says Israeli missiles hit Damascus, Aleppo airports,” Oct 12, 2023. https://www.reuters.com/… Reuters
[18] Wikipedia roundup (with primary links): Israeli airstrike on Iranian consulate in Damascus, Apr 1, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/… Wikipedia
[19] Reuters: Lebanon border war timeline/context (2024–2025). https://www.reuters.com/… Reuters+1
[20] IPC Special Snapshot (Apr–Sept 2025): Gaza acute food insecurity. https://www.un.org/… (PDF) and IPC Alert, July 29, 2025. https://www.ipcinfo.org/…; WHO note. https://www.who.int/… United NationsIPCInfoWorld Health Organization
[21] IPC country page (May 10, 2025). https://www.ipcinfo.org/… IPCInfo
[22] Washington Post: “One in five Gazans facing starvation,” May 12, 2025. https://www.washingtonpost.com/… The Washington Post
[23] Reuters: “ICJ orders Israel to prevent and punish incitement to genocide, preserve evidence,” Jan 26, 2024. https://www.reuters.com/… Reuters
[24] Reuters: “ICJ ruling on Israel’s actions in Gaza, May 2024,” May 24, 2024. https://www.reuters.com/… Reuters
[25] OCHA oPt: Settler-related violence overview. https://www.ochaopt.org/… OCHA – Occupied Palestinian Territory
[26] UN OCHA: Humanitarian Situation Update #305/#312 – West Bank displacement. https://www.un.org/…; https://www.un.org/… United Nations+1
[27] WikiShia explainer on “Every day is Ashura, every land is Karbala” (usage/history). https://www.wikishia.net/… WikiShia
[28] Shariati context (scholarly PDF) and Christianity Today overview. https://blogs.law.columbia.edu/…; https://www.christianitytoday.com/… blogs.law.columbia.eduChristianity Today
[29] Imam Khomeini texts on the phrase and meaning. https://staticsml.imam-khomeini.ir/…; https://en.imam-khomeini.ir/… staticsml.imam-khomeini.iren.imam-khomeini.ir
[30] Office of Grand Ayatollah Sistani (English statements on Gaza). https://www.sistani.org/… Sistani+
[31] Recent calls by Shi’a authorities to break Gaza siege/halt starvation (IQNA; Tasnim). https://iqna.ir/…; https://www.tasnimnews.com/… IQNATasnim News
Note: This is an opinion/analysis piece; factual assertions are sourced above via live links. If you want this adapted into a shorter op-ed, a social thread, or a one-pager for quick outreach, say the word and I’ll spin those versions.
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