Arab world in uproar: Fear of a “Greater Israel”

MembersArab world in uproar: Fear of a “Greater Israel”

Few ideas cause as much anxiety in the Middle East as the concept of a “Greater Israel.” This is not merely a geopolitical thought experiment but a vision rooted in the Bible.

Some interpretations see the “Promised Land” as encompassing territory far beyond Israel’s current borders, extending into parts of Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt. For the Arab world, this is not just theology—it is politics, and of the most dangerous kind: politics grounded in religious justification. When Israeli politicians or rabbis reference “Eretz Israel haShlema” (Greater Israel), many Arabs hear not metaphors but threats. In Cairo, Amman, or Beirut, this fuels fears that Israel might one day act on these words. A single statement by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a TV interview has sparked a firestorm in the Arab world. He said he feels deeply committed to the “dream of biblical Eretz Israel and its borders.” From Amman to Cairo, from Doha to Riyadh, the conversation has shifted from mere politics to a messianic project—the plan for a “Greater Israel.” Suddenly, the focus is no longer solely on the war in the Gaza Strip but on a vision spanning entire regions, reviving ancient fears.

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