This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
- by Ramona Wadi by walzerscent
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of a settlement in Benjamin, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that Israel will expand in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, Lebanon and Syria, widening its non-existent borders. The comments are the latest in a series of threats made by Smotrich in which bombing on a scale similar to that in Gaza is being promoted as the step for land appropriation.
The international community cannot say it wasn’t warned after Smotrich’s detailed explanation of colonial expansion in the region. Expanding Israel’s borders is repeatedly asserted. Yet not one single leader has linked Israel’s military and political strategies to implementing the Zionist concept of Greater Israel.
One example of tacit silence was reported by Sydney Criminal Lawyers, who noted that Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s statement on 9 April 2026 spoke of humanitarian concerns and not of Israel’s colonial expansion.
From alleged safety from terror as in the case of Gaza, to buffer zones in Lebanon, Israel is repeating its security narrative in different scenarios to maintain a normalised perception of colonialism – a colonialism that is concealed by the international community’s silence.
Israel’s refusal to define its borders was never truly opposed by the international community. Since the 1948 Nakba, Israel colonial expansion was normalised. The only step the international community committed to was declaring settlements post-1967 illegal. The differentiation failed to stop Israel from expanding further into Palestinian territory and it had a precedent to fall on – the 1948 Nakba defying the 1947 UN Partition Plan.
READ: In Israel’s colonial ethnic cleansing, the world fails stand for decolonisation
In 1937, David Ben Gurion stated, “We shall accept a state in the boundaries fixed today, but the boundaries of Zionist aspirations are the concern of the Jewish people and no external factor will be able to limit them.” Even before Israel’s establishment, Zionism was declaring impunity for the future colonial enterprise. The UN, founded by former colonial powers, found no reason to oppose the Zionist ideology. In fact, the 1947 Partition Plan granted Jewish settlers 56 per cent of Palestinian land.
What Smotrich is declaring today reflects Ben Gurion’s vision of Greater Israel. The international community prefers to eliminate historical references to the earlier Zionist aspirations of annexing South Lebanon, for example, which is what Smotrich is partly inciting for.
The EU is back to considering sanctions – the key word being ‘considering’, not implementing. Spain, the most vocal in Europe in condemning Israel’s genocide in Gaza, has called for the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. Yet, EU silence over colonialism and annexation remains the norm. Choosing parts of Israel’s security narrative is another EU tactic – disarming Hezbollah is amplified, as is urging Israel to restrain its bombing to Hezbollah targets. However, warning against annexation, which is the mildest the EU can do with regard to Israel’s colonial expansion in the region, is a perfunctory performance.
History provides a clear picture of what Israel seeks to achieve. A referenced plan from decades ago is being ignored in favour of fragmented rhetoric on security concerns and humanitarian aid. There is no real fall out between Israel and the international community, but a repetitive silence regarding colonialism and annexation.
READ: Separating land from the people supports Israel’s colonial expansion
The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
- Smotrich speaks about Israel’s intention to expand in Syria, Lebanon and Gaza
- Smotrich calls for reoccupation of Gaza and military rule
- Smotrich demands war to continue, rejects PA role ahead of Netanyahu–Trump talks
- Smotrich criticises Netanyahu over talks with Qatar, calling them security, moral folly
- Israeli finance minister wants Trump plan scrapped, calls Gaza ‘ours’
- Israel’s Smotrich threatens to bombard Lebanese capital to resemble Gaza’s Khan Younis
- Iran says over 940 schools damaged in US-Israeli attacks
- The US attack on Iran is a wrecking ball aimed at its foundations
- UK will not join US blockade of Strait of Hormuz
- Lebanon says 35 killed in Israeli attacks over past 24 hours, death toll rises to 2,055
- Does diplomacy through the use of military force always succeed?
- Trump says other nations will assist US in naval blockade against Iran
- How the Iran war turned civilian lifelines into bargaining currency
- Global Sumud Flotilla sets sail again from Barcelona to Gaza with double participation
- 2 dead bodies arrive at Gaza hospitals, death toll surges to over 72,320
- Varying degrees of silence over colonialism and annexation
- South Korean president vows respect for ‘universal human rights’ amid online exchanges with Israel
- Iran says it identified 3,375 people killed in US-Israeli attacks
- Israeli ministers hint at possible resumption of attacks on Iran
- Reshaping the geographic space in the vicinity of East Jerusalem: Dynamics of spatial isolation and the fragmentation of the urban fabric
- Global Sumud Flotilla ships docked in Barcelona ahead of second voyage to Gaza
