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Israel-Hamas war: Amid mounting global pressure to end Israel’s brutal military campaign in the Gaza strip, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has triggered a severe backlash from Arab nations, including allies like Jordan, for his remarks on Israel’s alleged plan to build the contentious ‘Greater Israel’– an alleged plan to absorb neighboring Arab countries into a greater Jewish state.
In an interview with i24News, Benjamin Netanyahu said he feels “very much connected” to the vision of a Greater Israel, sparking anger and disappointment among Israel’s Arab Muslim neighbors including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and Jordan, who strongly objected to the Israeli PM’s comments.
Condemning Netanyahu’s remarks, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and the Arab League warned Israel’s expansionist policies pose a major threat to regional and global stability.
In a statement, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry called Netanyahu’s comments as “extremely dangerous and provocative”, while Egypt has expressed anger, and sought an explanation from Tel Aviv. Similarly, Qatar said that the Israel PM’s “arrogant language” could trigger fresh conflicts in the region.
The Saudi Arabia Foreign Ministry also expressed displeasure over Netanyahu’s comments, while the Palestinian Authority and the Arab League called the statement a violation of the sovereignty of Arab nations.
Greater Israel is an idea popular among Israel’s extreme right-wing, which proposes the contentious plan of absorbing neighboring Arab countries, including Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Iraq and a large part of Saudi Arabia, into a greater Jewish state. The idea proposes the use of military might to occupy Israel’s Arab neighbors and absorbing their territory to expand the state of Israel.
Meanwhile, the backlash over Benjamin Netanyahu’s comments over Greater Israel comes days after Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief Eyal Zamir opposed the Israeli Prime Minister’s plan to occupy parts of the Gaza Strip which are not already under the control of Israel.
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