What is 'Greater Israel'?

From biblical origins to modern-day Zionism, the vision of Greater Israel continues to shape Israeli rhetoric and regional tensions

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks in front of a map of the Middle East during a press conference at the Government Press Office (GPO) in Jerusalem on 4 September 2024 (AFP/Abir Sultan)

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he “very much” identifies with the vision of Greater Israel during an interview on Tuesday, as he accepted an amulet of the “promised land” from former right-wing MP Sharon Gal.

His comments have sparked condemnations from many Arab states, who viewed his words as a threat to their sovereign territory.

The concept of Greater Israel, which has various interpretations, has long been invokved by ultra-nationalist Israelis.

It is often understood as a vision of territorial expansion to encompass Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan, along with significant parts of Syria, Iraq, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

It has also sometimes been used more narrowly to refer to the territories occupied by Israel in 1967: the Palestinian territories, the Golan Heights in Syria, and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.

While Netanyahu’s remarks are recent, the idea of Greater Israel is neither new nor clearly defined, and for some, it now appears increasingly relevant in light of Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Where did it start?

The concept of Greater Israel was explored by Theodor Herzl, the father of political Zionism, who wrote in his diaries that the Jewish state should stretch “from the Brook of Egypt to the Euphrates”.

The phrase is taken from Book of Genesis, where God grants Abraham and his descendants a vast expanse of land stretching "from the Brook of Egypt to the Euphrates."

Some Israelis refer to a narrower vision mentioned in the Book of Deuteronomy, where God instructs Moses to lead the Israelites in taking possession of Palestine, Lebanon, and parts of Egypt, Jordan and Syria.

Others invoke the Book of Samuel, which describes lands secured by Kings Saul and David, including Palestine, Lebanon, and sections of Jordan and Syria.

For those who hold this belief, the pursuit of Greater Israel is not merely political, it is the fulfilment of a divine mandate, a reclamation of land they see as rightfully theirs.

How has Greater Israel changed?

Following the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, the country’s borders remained undefined.

In 1967, during the Six-Day War, Israel occupied the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, along with the Golan Heights in Syria and the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt.

It was the first major military effort by Israel to expand its territorial control. Sinai was later returned to Egypt as part of a peace treaty, while the Golan Heights were formally annexed by Israel.

The war brought renewed attention to the idea of Greater Israel, particularly among religious Zionists.

A map of 'Greater Israel', as laid out by Theodor Herzl

By the late 20th century, the term had become political shorthand, embraced by some Israelis as the realisation of a historical and religious destiny.

The "Movement for Greater Israel", a political party founded in the aftermath of the Six-Day War, was active until the late 1970s. It advocated for retaining the captured territories and settling them with Jewish citizens.

How does the current government view the vision?

Since the current Israeli gonvment was sworn in in 2022, refernce to Greater Israel became more common.

Last year, in a documentary, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was filmed advocating for the expansion of Israeli borders to include Damascus.

He suggested that Israel would gradually grow to encompass not only all Palestinian territories but also parts of Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

“It is written that the future of Jerusalem is to expand to Damascus,” he said, invoking the “Greater Israel” ideology.

Smotrich had previously raised similar ideas during a 2023 memorial service for a Likud activist in Paris.

Speaking from a podium adorned with a map of Israel that included Jordan, he controversially stated that “there is no such thing” as the Palestinian people.

Other ministers and MPs have opennly advocated for "taking land" from Palestinians in in the Gaza Strip.

During the ongoing genoicde, an Israeli soldier was pictured with a patch of map of Greater Israel in on his uniform.

The latest incident came earlier this week, when Netanyahu explicitly reaffirmed his commitment to the vision.

His comments came amid ongoing Israeli military occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and parts of southern Lebanon and southern Syria.

Israel's genocide in Gaza

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What is 'Greater Israel'?

What is 'Greater Israel'?