Israel seeking to expand into 'Greater Israel', says Turkish foreign minister
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.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to join the summit in Doha on Monday.
Ankara considers Qatar a strategic partner and ally, and the attack in Doha has heightened Turkish concerns while reinforcing its view that Israel disregards established norms of international law.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared last month to endorse the vision of a Greater Israel.
In an interview with i24 News, host Sharon Gal presented Netanyahu with an amulet depicting what Gal described as “a map of the Promised Land”. When asked if he felt connected to the vision of Greater Israel, Netanyahu responded: “Very much.”
Although the amulet did not appear on screen, the phrase “Greater Israel” is widely understood as an expansionist concept long invoked by ultra-nationalist Israelis to claim parts of Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and Syria, in addition to the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu also described himself in the interview as being on a “historic and spiritual mission”.
The idea has been publicly invoked by other Israeli officials as well. Last year, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was recorded advocating expansion of Israeli borders to include Damascus.
He suggested that Israel would ultimately extend to cover 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,” Smotrich said.
