Greater Israel: Jewish nation till Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia…know about Greater Israel plan, Netanyahu planning to…

"Greater Israel" is generally used to refer to the territory of the State of Israel and the Palestinian territories.... Scroll down for more.

Greater Israel: The world woke up the dethroning of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Syria on the Sunday morning of December 8. Bashar al-Assad in Syria had been ruling Syria for the last 24 years before his government got dethroned by the rebels of the area. As the news of the dethroning started getting worldwide attention, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a big order to the Israeli army. Under the big order, PM Netanyahu had ordered his army to capture the ‘buffer zone’ that is beyond the Israeli occupation of Golan Heights in Syria.

Following the order, the Israeli army crossed the Alpha Line dividing the Syria-Israel border with tanks and captured the area. After this move of the Israeli army, the discussion about Greater Israel has intensified. Here’s a story to explain the concept of ‘Greater Israel’ and why it is important for Israel.

What is ‘Greater Israel’

“Greater Israel” is generally used to refer to the territory of the State of Israel and the Palestinian territories, the combined territory of the former Mandatory Palestine without Trans-Jordan (already separated from Palestine by the British in the early 1920s).

“Eventually our borders will stretch from Lebanon to the Great Desert of Saudi Arabia. Then from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River (Iraq). And who is on the other side of the Euphrates? The Kurds! And they are our friends”, Israeli politician Avi Lipkin was quoted saying on Greater Israel by Middle East Monitor.

“So we have the Mediterranean behind us and we have the Kurds in front of us, Lebanon, which really needs Israel’s protection. I believe we will then capture Mecca, Medina and Mount Sinai, and purify those places”, he added.

Curfew imposed in Damascus after rebel takeover

The Syrian rebel fighters declared a curfew in Damascus on Sunday, effective from 16:00 to 05:00 local time, following their capture of the Syrian capital that led to the collapse of President Bashar al-Assad’s government earlier in the day.

While most rebel fighters did not harm civilians, those not led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) grew increasingly reckless, with several reports of looting and arson at public institutions and shops.

“Damascus is still under curfew, so the city become much more stable compared to the daytime on Sunday. Violence such as the looting of the central bank and the presidential palace on Sunday afternoon has been brought under control,” said Wang Weiwei, a reporter from China Media Group (CMG).

Abu Mohammad Al-Jolani, leader of the HTS, has arrived in Damascus and delivered a speech at the iconic Umayyad Mosque. His arrival is expected to start the power transfer process.

(With inputs from agencies)