Arab Nations Condemn Netanyahu Over ‘Greater Israel’ Remarks
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority sharply criticized Netanyahu after he endorsed the "Greater Israel" concept in an interview, calling it a "colonial delusion." The remarks referenced biblical claims extending to neighboring states' territories.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Several Arab states and regional bodies have voiced sharp condemnation after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu openly expressed his affinity with the vision of “Greater Israel,” prompting accusations of a “mentality steeped in colonial delusions.”
On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, the Arab League, and the Palestinian Authority issued statements denouncing the remarks, which they described as inflammatory and destabilizing.
In an interview broadcast Tuesday evening on i24News, Netanyahu was asked by anchor Sharon Gal whether he “feels a connection” to the concept of Greater Israel. The prime minister responded: “Very much.”
The term “Greater Israel” refers to an expanded Israel based on biblical or historical interpretations. While versions differ, some include territories from present-day Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia.
The phrase gained prominence after the June 1967 Six Day War, when it came to describe Israel alongside the territories it captured — East Jerusalem, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula, and the Golan Heights.
Although interpretations vary, the vision remains embraced by some far-right figures in Israel who openly advocate annexing or eventually asserting control over many of these areas.
Gal, a former right-wing Knesset member, posed the question after presenting Netanyahu with what he described as an amulet depicting “a map of the Promised Land,” though it was not shown on screen. According to the Times of Israel the anchor has recently marketed pendants resembling a maximalist map of Greater Israel.
