Arab nations erupt in protest after PM Netanyahu appears to endorse ‘connection’ to vision of greater Israel

Several Arab nations, as well as the Arab League, strongly condemned Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, alleging that he had endorsed a vision for “greater Israel” that includes parts of neighboring countries.

The comment was made earlier this week during an interview with i24 News’s anchor and former right-wing Knesset Member, Sharon Gal.

The relevant passage began with Gal asking Netanyahu whether the years of war since Oct. 7 had led him to a spiritual “strengthening.”

“When you reach these kinds of tests, you always ask the question, ‘why’, ‘what are you doing here’… we’re here on a generational mission,” Netanyahu said. “There are generations of Jews who dreamed of coming here, and generations who will follow us.”

“So if you’re asking me whether I feel I’m on a historic and spiritual mission, the answer is yes.”

Gal then presented Netanyahu with a necklace, which the news anchor produces and sells, showing the outlines of the “promised land,” with borders far exceeding modern Israel’s area and apparently including parts of Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Iraq.

Joking he didn’t want to complicate matters with the prime minister’s ongoing corruption trials, Gal said the necklace was his “vision,” and the map of the promised land.

“Do you feel a connection to this vision?” Gal asked. “Very much,” Netanyahu replied, explaining that he felt that his generation was tasked with continuing the work of his parents’ generation, who created the state, by safeguarding its existence, before praising the current generation’s dedication to this “mission.”

The prime minister’s comments appeared to refer to the term “promised land” and the “mission” of creating and safeguarding the Jewish State, rather than to expanding the borders of the state.

Nevertheless, the Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan and the Arab League condemned Netanyahu for allegedly endorsing the vision of “greater Israel.”

According to the Bible, there are several possibilities to delineate the borders of the land God promised to the people of Israel.

The idea of “greater Israel” stems from early Zionism, when the British Mandate included the entire areas of present-day Israel, Judea and Samaria, the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights, as well as the area that later became Jordan.

Since the biblical promised land included areas on the eastern side of the River Jordan, maps including this area were used by right-wing Zionist groups, which were ideological forerunners of today’s secular right-wing parties, like Netanyahu’s Likud.

After the Six-Day War of 1967 and Israel’s capture of Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights, the term came into use among Religious Zionism.

Today, the term is mostly used in connection with the advocacy for settlements in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, while only some far-right fringe groups use it to refer to areas controlled by present-day Egypt and Jordan.

Netanyahu said that he is on A historical and spiritual mission to build “Greater Israel.” Which means he is on a mission to violate all international laws, commit crimes against humanity and annex Palestinian and other Arab countries territories. pic.twitter.com/hbmyUZTZWD

— Mustafa Barghouti @Mustafa_Barghouti (@MustafaBarghou1) August 13, 2025

The Palestinian Authority called Netanyahu’s comments “a provocation and a dangerous escalation that threatens the security and stability of the region, stemming from the occupation state’s expansionist colonial policies.”

Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry expressed its “complete rejection of the settlement and expansionist ideas and projects adopted by the Israeli occupation authorities.”

The Arab League protested the “blatant violation of the sovereignty of Arab states and an attempt to undermine security and stability in the region,” adding that the Israeli prime minister’s comments “reflect expansionist and aggressive intentions that cannot be accepted or tolerated” and “expose a mentality steeped in colonial delusions.”

Jordan rejected the “dangerous and provocative escalation” expressed in “these inflammatory statements.”

A spokesman said such “claims and illusions, adopted and promoted by extremists in the Israeli government, encourage the continuation of cycles of violence and conflict.”

In March 2023, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich gave a speech on a podium adorned with a map of greater Israel, causing widespread criticism. At the time, the Israeli foreign ministry asserted, “Israel is committed to the 1994 peace agreement with Jordan. There has been no change in the position of the State of Israel, which recognizes the territorial integrity of the Hashemite Kingdom.”

FUN FACT:

The israeli 10 Agorot coin which many believe to portray 'greater israel' is in fact a relief replica of an ancient CLIPPED shekel. This CLIPPED shekel also adorns the bank of israel logo

The don't have any ancient judean coin examples that aren't clipped

Hilarious pic.twitter.com/K2IPQldJUE

— death_by_government (@death_by_gov) May 21, 2025

Across the Arab world, as well as online, the conspiracy theories alleging that Israel is secretly working to accomplish the dream of a “Greater Israel” circulate widely.

This includes allegations that the Israeli 10 Agorot coin shows a version of this map, or that Netanyahu presented a map showing this plan at the U.N. several years ago.

👍Apparently Netanyahu has yet ‘another’ Greater Israel in his fanatical Zionist dreams: a ‘Greater’ Greater Israel that goes way beyond the total colonisation of Palestine.

Will the Rest of the World simply continue to watch in the meantime? pic.twitter.com/4BhoWvL3qw

— Giuseppe Guarriello (@gu47351) August 11, 2025