Expansionist Israel will not stop dragging the US to war in the Middle East. Professor and Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University. The report has prompted swift reactions from officials and advocacy groups alike.

Context

Understanding what led to this point requires a closer examination of the circumstances involved.

The idea of “ Greater Israel ” has been the cause of wars in Iraq, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Iran.

According to United States Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, a fundamentalist Protestant whose geopolitical compass is set by biblical texts from 500 BC, “ Greater Israel ” stretches from the Nile to the Euphrates.

Significantly, last summer, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu professed to be “ very ” attached to a vision of “ Greater Israel ” that, he said, takes in the Palestinian territories and neighbouring Arab lands.

Global Analysis

Analysts are now examining what this development means in both the short and long term.

The first are secular hardliners like Netanyahu who say that Israel must control all the land from the river to the sea to be safe, and damn the eight million Palestinians in the way.

Of particular significance is the fact that the second is the Jewish supremacist creed of Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir that God gave the land to the Jews alone: There is, in Smotrich ’ s words, “ no such thing as a Palestinian ”.

Reports further indicate that asked recently how Israel should answer its collapsing world-wide standing, Smotrich vowed Israel would not relinquish military control of the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanese or Syrian territory: “ We won ’ t commit suicide to make them happy. ” “ Greater Israel ” is paranoia, megalomania and religious zeal braided into a single programme.

Impact

The ripple effects of what has occurred are expected to reach well beyond the initial story.

He has done it with two American constituencies: Jewish Zionists who love Israel and will forgive it anything and Christian Zionists who love the prophecy of the End Times and the Second Coming of Christ more than they love any living Palestinian or, for that matter, any living Israeli.

Notably, uS President Donald Trump has been battered by joining the “ Greater Israel ” delusion, and he knows it.

Of particular significance is the fact that that is precisely why Israel ’ s “ Greater Israel ” politicians are trying to strangle the new agreement in the cradle, for peace with Iran is a defeat for “ Greater Israel ”.

Significantly, even after the arrangement was sealed, Israel has continued to bomb Lebanon, killing 47 people in a single day on Friday and another 32 on Saturday hours after a Lebanon-Israel ceasefire took effect.

Alongside the primary story, so the way to peace in West Asia is to stop “ Greater Israel ”.

The Outlook

For now, the situation continues to evolve, with no definitive resolution in sight. Those closely following the issue are preparing for further developments in what has become a significant and consequential story.