Israel seeking to expand into 'Greater Israel', says Turkish foreign minister

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has accused Israel of seeking to create a “Greater Israel” that extends beyond Palestinian land into parts of neighbouring countries which include Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan and Turkey.

“There are two reasons underlying Israel’s expansionism. The first is to enlarge its territories and establish Greater Israel,” Fidan said in an interview with Al Jazeera on Sunday.

“The second is to keep the countries in the region weak, ineffective, and especially to leave Israel’s neighbouring states divided.”

Fidan made the remarks in Qatar while attending an emergency joint summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League, convened in response to Israeli strikes in Doha that targeted Hamas last week.

“The issue is no longer just the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in our region. It is not only about Israel’s occupation of Palestine or its continuation of genocide in Gaza. It is also about Israel’s pursuit of regional expansionism,” he added.