Latest news with #GreaterIsrael
Al Jazeera
3 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Israel's strategic failure is now apparent
Since the mid-1960s, Israel has received significant military and diplomatic support from successive administrations in the United States. But never has it enjoyed such unconditional support as it has in the past eight years – under the first and second administrations of President Donald Trump and the administration of President Joe Biden. As a result, Israel has started openly pursuing its greatest Zionist dream: expanding state borders to achieve Greater Israel and accelerating the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people from their homeland. Although the Israeli state may appear more powerful than ever and overly confident that it will achieve regional dominance, its current position paradoxically reflects a strategic failure. The reality is that after nearly eight decades of existence, Israel has failed to achieve legitimacy in the eyes of the region's peoples and lasting security for itself. Its present resurgence will secure neither. And that is because its foreign, domestic and military policies are based on a settler-colonial logic which makes them untenable in the long run. Since its founding in 1948, Israel has sought to convince the world and its Jewish citizens that it was created 'on a land without a people'. While this narrative has successfully caught on – particularly among the younger generations of Israelis – the forefathers of the Israeli state openly spoke about 'colonisation' and settling a land with a hostile native population. Theodor Herzl, considered the father of modern Zionism, planned to reach out to well-known British colonialist Cecil Rhodes, who led the British colonisation of Southern Africa, for advice on and approval of his plan to colonise Palestine. Vladimir Jabotinsky, a revisionist Zionist who founded the far-right Zionist group Betar in Latvia, strategised in his writings on ways to address native resistance. In his 1923 essay The Iron Wall, he wrote: 'Every native population in the world resists colonists as long as it has the slightest hope of being able to rid itself of the danger of being colonised. That is what the Arabs in Palestine are doing.' This settler-colonial mentality played a central role in shaping the domestic, foreign and military policies of the newly founded Israel. Today, almost 80 years after the creation of the Israeli state, expansionism and aggressive military posturing continue to define the Israeli regional strategy. Despite official rhetoric about seeking peace and normalisation of relations in the region, the Israeli aspiration to achieve a Greater Israel – one that includes not only occupied Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, but also parts of modern-day Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan – persists. That has been apparent in public discourse and government actions. Settler activists have openly talked about an Israel stretching from the Nile to the Euphrates river. Government advisers have penned articles about 'reconquering Sinai', 'dismembering Egypt' and precipitating the 'dissolution of Jordan'. Prime ministers have stood in front of the United Nations General Assembly, holding maps of Greater Israel. The idea of Greater Israel has been widely accepted across the Zionist political spectrum, both on the right and on the left. The primary differences have been in how and when to advance this vision, and whether it requires the expulsion of Palestinians or their segregation. Expansionist policies have been applied under all Israeli governments – from those led by left-wing Mapai Labor to those led by right-wing Likud. Since the 1949 armistice, Israel has occupied the West Bank, Gaza, East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, Sinai (twice), southern Lebanon (twice) and now most recently, more parts of southern Syria. Meanwhile, its colonisation of the occupied Palestinian territories has proceeded at an accelerated pace. The number of Jewish colonial settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, was approximately 250,000 in 1993; by October 7, 2023, this number had risen to 503,732 in the West Bank and 233,600 in East Jerusalem. Settlements in Gaza were dismantled in 2005, but plans are being made for recolonisation, as the current Israeli government eyes the full ethnic cleansing of the strip. Today, there is no major political force in Israel that looks beyond the direct application of naked military power to maintain and protect colonisation activities. This mindset is not limited to politicians but is also a widespread conviction among the Israeli public. A June 2024 survey found that 70 percent of Jewish Israelis think settlements either help national security or do not interfere with it; a March 2025 poll showed that 82 percent of Jewish Israelis support the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza. The settler-colonial mindset at the core of the Israeli state has precluded the emergence of a genuine drive for peace. As a result, successive Israeli governments have continued to pursue war, colonisation and expansion, even when seemingly embracing peace talks. In the 1990s, Israel had the opportunity to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict by withdrawing from the territories occupied in 1967 and accepting the creation of an independent Palestinian state. Instead, it used the negotiations as a smokescreen to advance settler-colonial policies. Even leaders like Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who was hailed as a peacemaker and assassinated for it by a Jewish extremist, did not really envision Israelis and Palestinians living side by side. Under his government and during the peace negotiations, the expansion of Jewish settlements continued at a steady pace, while plans for a segregation wall on occupied Palestinian land were pushed forward. Meanwhile, Rabin and other Israeli leaders involved in the peace negotiations focused primarily on normalising Israel's existence as it was, without addressing the root causes of the conflict. They sought to pacify Palestinian resistance, rather than establish durable peace. The absence of a peace camp is not only at the leadership level but also at the societal one. While the Israeli society has active movements for social causes, settlers' coalitions, and now a movement pushing for continuing the prisoner exchanges with Hamas, it lacks a genuine grassroots peace movement that recognises Palestinian rights. This is in sharp contrast to other settler-colonial societies, in which there was a push from within to end colonialism. During the French colonisation of Algeria, for example, an anti-colonial movement within France openly supported the Algerian armed resistance. During the apartheid era in South Africa, white activists joined the anti-apartheid struggle and helped sway domestic attitudes. In Israel, Jewish supporters of Palestinian rights are so few that they are easily ostracised and marginalised, facing death threats and often feeling compelled to leave the country. The absence of a genuine peace camp reflects the inherent flaw of settler-colonial Israel. It has no coherent political strategy to address broader issues, such as coexistence in the region, which requires acknowledging the interests of others, especially the national rights of the Palestinian people. This makes the settler colony incapable of peace. Historically, settler-colonies have always had to rely on outside support to sustain themselves. Israel is no different. For decades, it has enjoyed far-reaching support from Western Europe and the United States, which have provided it with a significant strategic edge. But this Israeli reliance on Western backing also poses a long-term strategic threat. It makes the country dependent and unable to function like a normal sovereign nation. Other countries in the region will continue to exist even if they lose support from their Western allies, with only their regimes potentially changing. But that is not the case for Israel. This unlimited and extravagant support for Israel, aimed at maintaining its dominance as the primary regional power, is likely to backfire. The growing imbalance of power is generating pressure not only on antagonist countries like Iran, but on other regional players such as Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. They increasingly feel that the Western push to defend Israeli interests is infringing on their own. This situation is likely to push them to increasingly seek alliances beyond the Western bloc to counterbalance this influence. China offers a viable alternative, as it is not a strategic ally of Israel. A gradual opening to China can shift the political dynamics of the region in the coming years, beyond the capacity of Israel and its allies to control them. That will certainly undermine the Israeli plans to establish regional hegemony. But Israel faces not only the risk that Western dominance could be challenged from the East, but also that Western societies could pressure their governments to stop backing it. The Israeli genocidal policies, especially since October 7, 2023, have spurred a profound shift in public opinion across the world, including in Europe and North America. Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, its prime minister has an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court and Israeli soldiers are facing charges in many countries around the world. As a result, the Israeli state has notably lost support among those on the left and centre of the political spectrum in the West. While it still manages to maintain backing in high-level European and American political and military circles, this support is becoming increasingly unreliable in the long term. This uncertainty is further aggravated by the rise of isolationism on the right in the US. If these trends continue, Israel may eventually run out of dependable supporters in the West and lose its financial and military advantage. The limits of the Israeli settler-colonial state strategy are increasingly becoming clear. The continued use of settler-colonial policies, characterised by excessive violence, along with the pursuit of regional hegemony, is pushing Israel into an untenable position. The Israeli leadership may be living in a fantasy world, thinking it can pull off a 'New World' model on Palestine and exterminate its population to fully colonise it; or to declare itself officially an apartheid state, seeking to make Palestinian subjugation legal. But in the historical and geopolitical context of the Middle East, neither of these fantasies is viable. Global pressure is coming to bear. The expulsion of the people of Gaza has been outright rejected. The Palestinian people, like any other nation that has survived brutal colonisation, will not leave their country and disappear, nor will they accept life under a colonial apartheid regime. Israeli leaders may do well to start imagining the very real possibility of sharing land and accepting equal rights, and start preparing the Israeli society for it. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial stance.
See - Sada Elbalad
19-04-2025
- Politics
- See - Sada Elbalad
Palestinian Minister Calls for Support of Arab-Islamic Plan to Rebuild Gaza
By Ahmad El-Assasy Palestinian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Farsin Shahin, has emphasised the urgent need to support the Arab-Islamic initiative for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, asserting that the Palestinian Authority must be allowed to regain full control over the territory. Speaking to Cairo News Channel on Saturday evening, Shahin accused Israel of deliberately prolonging its military aggression in both Gaza and the West Bank in pursuit of what she described as the vision of 'Greater Israel.' The minister stated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is refusing to end the war to avoid facing domestic accountability, claiming he is misleading the Israeli public by promising total victory. Shahin also stressed that any future Middle East peace plan, including proposals made under former US President Donald Trump, must guarantee Palestinians the right to a just and lasting resolution to their national cause. Her remarks come amid growing calls for post-war reconstruction efforts and renewed international engagement in resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. read more Gold prices rise, 21 Karat at EGP 3685 NATO's Role in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict US Expresses 'Strong Opposition' to New Turkish Military Operation in Syria Shoukry Meets Director-General of FAO Lavrov: confrontation bet. nuclear powers must be avoided News Iran Summons French Ambassador over Foreign Minister Remarks News Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Escalation in West Bank News Greek PM: Athens Plays Key Role in Improving Energy Security in Region News One Person Injured in Explosion at Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid News Egypt confirms denial of airspace access to US B-52 bombers News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia Lifestyle Pistachio and Raspberry Cheesecake Domes Recipe News Australia Fines Telegram $600,000 Over Terrorism, Child Abuse Content Arts & Culture Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's $4.7M LA Home Burglarized Videos & Features Bouchra Dahlab Crowned Miss Arab World 2025 .. Reem Ganzoury Wins Miss Arab Africa Title (VIDEO) Sports Neymar Announced for Brazil's Preliminary List for 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers News Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly Inaugurates Two Indian Companies Arts & Culture New Archaeological Discovery from 26th Dynasty Uncovered in Karnak Temple Arts & Culture Arwa Gouda Gets Married (Photos)
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The Israeli army's 'tourist hikes' in occupied Golan Heights
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The Israeli army is running hiking tours for civilians in territory it recently seized from Syria. Tickets for the hikes in the Golan Heights – scheduled twice a day throughout the week of the Jewish Passover festival – sold out almost immediately. The widely criticised venture marks a "provocative intersection of militarised control, tourism expansion and territorial assertion" in one of the "most politically sensitive" regions of the world, said Travel and Tour World. Groups undertaking the tour are transported to the area in bulletproof buses and "are monitored by armed escorts". The hiking route ventures into a buffer-zone area that was previously "off limits" to both Syria and Israel under a 1974 ceasefire agreement. The Israeli army took advantage of the fall of the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad last December to seize the territory. The tour itinerary includes the Syrian slopes of Mount Hermon, the Ottoman-era Hejaz railway, and Shebaa Farms on an Israeli-occupied strip of Lebanese land traditionally believed to be the site of God's covenant with Abraham – and a "flashpoint for violence" between Israel and Hezbollah for decades, said The Guardian. The Israeli Defence Force is co-organising the trips with the Golan Regional Council, a religious education centre and environmental groups, as part of a wider initiative called "Returning to a Safer North". In a statement, the IDF said it was "important for us to restore heritage and tourism to the region" and to "tell the story of the battles fought during the war". Organisers said demand was so high, they hope to offer further tours to Syria after Passover, if the security situation allows it. The Golan Heights is a rocky plateau in the southwestern corner of Syria, bordering Israel, Lebanon and Jordan. Israel formally annexed the region in 1981, although the United Nations has refused to recognise the annexation as legitimate. In 2019, however, the US, in Donald Trump's first term, became the only country in the world to recognise Israel's sovereignty in the Golan Heights – a decision that was met with shock and fury, particularly in the Arab world. The further buffer-zone land grab in December is "seen as a component of the so-called 'Greater Israel' project", said Iranian state broadcaster Press TV. "Greater Israel" typically refers to "the notion of expanding Israel's territory and sovereignty" to what its proponents see as its "historic biblical land", said Middle East Monitor. The term has "come to mean very different things to different groups", said Adrian Stein in The Times of Israel. "In Israel and the diaspora today", the term is generally understood to mean "extending Israel's sovereignty to the West Bank". But, in more extreme interpretations, it also encompasses the territories in the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights.
Saba Yemen
12-04-2025
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Why Zionist-American intransigence? Gaza is key to solution
Sana'a - Saba: In light of the acceleration of developments in the region and the world, due to the ongoing Zionist-American aggression on Gaza Strip, and with the expansion of the fire to the Red Sea, including the barbaric American aggression on Yemen, an escalation that may affect many countries in the region, stopping the aggression on Gaza remains the only solution to prevent a wide regional war, which may expand into a global war, as called for by the wise men of the world, rejected by America and the Zionist enemy entity; because, apparently, they are outside the civilized time of humanity and hide behind sterile Talmudic dreams. Despite the international certainty that stopping the aggression on Gaza is the "immediate prescription" to end tensions, Washington and Tel Aviv reject the idea at its core, arguing that stopping the war in Gaza is in the interest of Hamas as a sterile justification and a yellow hanger in an attempt to escape responsibility, even though the expansion of the war represents a direct threat to the interests of Washington and its allies; but it seems that the "Greater Israel" project remains a clear Zionist and American goal. In this context, the aggression against Yemen represents a dangerous American escalation on the security of the region. Moreover, this escalation will fail and Yemen will remain stronger than its barbarism, but this escalation would redefine the conflict on a regional basis, and this is indeed what has become the case, as Yemen is determined to continue blockading the navigation of the Zionist enemy and targeting the American and British navy supporting it, and will not abandon its support for the people of Palestine in their just cause at any cost as an Islamic humanitarian and moral position. In response to the US escalation, many countries of the world reiterated that the only solution to end the tensions is to stop the aggression on Gaza, withdraw the Zionist enemy army from the Strip completely and hold it accountable for its crimes, which the United States and the enemy entity categorically reject as war criminals. The war-tested Zionist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu always repeats his goals of the war, which he summarizes by releasing prisoners, forcing the resistance to lay down its weapons, exiling its leaders abroad, and displacing the rest of the Gaza Strip's population in accordance with US President Donald Trump's plan; goals that in fact aim to eliminate the remaining resistance, displace the remaining population, and expand "Greater Israel"; how can a barbaric occupier ask the people of the land to lay down their weapons, leave their land, emigrate from their country and leave it to herds of occupying criminals? Emphasizing that regional tensions are nothing but an extension of the Zionist aggression on Gaza Strip, observers emphasize that protecting the security of the Red Sea begins with resolving the crises in the region, first and foremost the Palestinian issue and the elimination of the Zionist occupation. The road to Red Sea security begins with stopping the aggression on Gaza, committing the Zionist enemy to the principles of international law and punishing it for its crimes against humanity and the genocidal war it has been carrying out with absolute American support for more than 17 months throughout the Strip, in addition to its parallel crimes in the West Bank , Al-Quds, and above all ending the occupation; unless the resistance is able to force it to leave the land and leave with its stick. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
Leaders
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Leaders
Blour: Future of Greater Israel: Geopolitical Shifts,Corporate-Driven Conflict
Former U.S. government adviser and environmental activist Gregory de Blour said: 'A question was asked to me: If the Zionists get their way with the Greater Israel project, what comes next? First of all, I don't see the Greater Israel project going much further. I don't believe—by watching, not the tea leaves, but the dynamics of what's happening in the world between BRICS, the consolidation of economic blocs—America's dead on arrival. Meaning, we are not going to be the nation that we all thought we were. They are bankrupting us—the corporations. So, we're on a road to termination when it comes to a greater America. @dashimoelle 🌬what comes next🙇♂️ #dashimoelle #thewitch🧙♂️ #داشيمولي #اكسبلورexplore #fyp #مصر #احا_يا_مولي #ترند #wakeup #canada #usa🇺🇸 #humanity #free #foryou ♬ original sound – moelle We're sacrificing our peace, our once-held prosperity in our country, and it's gone because they don't care about the American people. They care about profits for corporations. So, that's what they are doing—they are sending our kids off to fight their wars, stealing resources. They are paying our young kids handsomely, but they are just collateral damage. They don't care what happens when these kids come home and have to live with what they committed—which is genocide and ethnic cleansing. If this goes too far, millions of people will suffer, just so a few corporations can make profits and control resources.' Related Topics : Israeli-Saudi Normalization Not To Happen Without Comprehensive peace deal with Palestinians INTERVIEW-Saudi Arabia Plays Pivotal Role in Promoting Regional Stability: Dr. Hesham Alghannam Unveiled: Rabbi Exposes Zionist Conspiracy to Divide Jews, Muslims INTERVIEW-Saudi Arabia Plays Pivotal Role in Promoting Regional Stability: Dr. Hesham Alghannam Short link : Post Views: 1 Related Stories
