Litani river

Greater Israel: Coming soon to a neighbour near you; lines may change without notice

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This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

by Dr Mustafa Fetouri MFetouri

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu displays map during United Nations 79th General Assembly (UNGA) speech showing West Bank, Gaza as ‘Israel’ on September 27, 2024 in New York, United States [Fatih Aktaş/Anadolu Agency]

For seven decades, Israel has functioned not within fixed borders, but through the calculated deployment of “fluid lines.” From the 1947 Partition Plan to modern military doctrines, its geography remains a moving target—a series of unilateral impositions designed to facilitate expansion while evading international law. Effectively, Israel recognizes no definitive borders for itself, nor does it respect the sovereign boundaries of its neighbors. From Iran to Egypt, international borders are treated as mere sketches on a map rather than inviolable markers. This refusal to define its own limits maintains a permanent “frontier status,” where expansion is the only constant and international law is merely an optional suggestion.

We must not lose sight of the factual reality: immediately upon its creation on stolen Palestinian land, Israel was ostensibly bound by UN Resolution 181. This 1947 Partition Plan was presented by the international community as a definitive blueprint for borders—borders that the Zionist leadership, in truth, never intended to inhabit. 

History records that while the Jewish Agency publicly accepted the plan to gain international legitimacy, its leaders privately viewed it as a mere “first step.” As David Ben-Gurion told the Zionist Executive at the time, statehood was a tool to “abolish partition and expand to the whole of Palestine.” 

Following the 1948 war and the catastrophic displacement of the Palestinian people, the 1949 Armistice Agreements established the “Green Line.” It is a crucial distinction that this was never a “border” in the legal sense; at the insistence of both sides at the time, it was defined strictly as a military demarcation line “without prejudice to future political settlements.” However, while the UN’s intention was for this line to serve as the baseline for a future two-state reality, the Israeli leadership envisioned it only as a temporary pause.

By refusing to formalize these lines into permanent, recognized borders, Israel ensured its strategic flexibility—allowing it to treat the map as a work in progress, to be redrawn by force whenever the political winds allowed. 

Today, the Green Line remains a strategic phantom. In the Zionist calculus, it is an optical illusion maintained for the consumption of the international community, while on the ground, it has been systematically erased by relentless settlement expansion. This “orthographic minimalism” applied to geography ensures the state remains in a permanent state of flux; it facilitates a “creeping annexation” that renders the logic of a two-state solution not only obsolete but self-defeating.

As the physical Green Line faded into geopolitical irrelevance, a new vocabulary emerged: the “Yellow Line.” This is no longer a fixed geographic marker, but a calibrated political-military tool used to project power across the region.

Unlike a border, the Yellow Line is an elastic boundary of “permissible” presence—a shifting gray zone that Israel expands or contracts to justify incursions, surveillance, and the gradual absorption of neighboring space under the guise of security necessity.

In Gaza and Lebanon, this strategy of fluid boundaries has transitioned into a violent re-mapping of the Levant. In Gaza, Israel has seized a significant portion of the devastated Strip under the perennial pretext of “security,” creating deep buffer zones that effectively shrink the territory. This occurs even as diplomatic overtures—such as Trump’s “Deal of the Century” and various “ceasefire” frameworks—theoretically dictate a full withdrawal. The reality on the ground mocks the paper promises; the “line” in Gaza is currently defined by the tread of a tank, not the ink of a treaty.

READ: Former US official: Iran war is direct extension of ‘Greater Israel’ project

In Lebanon, the encroachment is even more brazen. Despite the technical existence of a ceasefire, the Yellow Line—now functioning as an aggressive “Security Line”—has pushed far beyond the UN-recognized Blue Line. It appears to have reached northward to the Litani River, effectively encompassing the entirety of South Lebanon. This is a profound historical regression; this very land was only liberated from Israeli occupation in 2000 through the sustained efforts of the Lebanese Islamic Resistance and its allies.

By unilaterally redrawing this line at the Litani, Israel is attempting to undo decades of Lebanese sovereignty, treating the South once again as a “frontier” to be managed by force rather than a border to be respected.

In the case of Iran, the discourse surrounding its nuclear program serves as the ultimate expression of the “Red Line” doctrine. Here, the term is weaponized to claim a total monopoly on regional security and to safeguard Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge—a mandated policy ensuring that no regional rival can achieve military or technological parity. These lines are not fixed by international law, nor are they rooted in objective security requirements; rather, they are unilaterally redefined according to Israeli strategic desires and bolstered by unconditional American financial, diplomatic, and military support.The ultimate goal remains the realization of the “Greater Israel” project. While historically this was pursued through conventional warfare and territorial seizure, we are witnessing a new phase of this expansion. Today, the project is being advanced through normalization.

The ultimate realization of the “Greater Israel” project is no longer being pursued solely through conventional warfare; it is now being finalized through normalization. By bypassing the Palestinian issue and establishing diplomatic and economic “lines” across the Arab world, Israel seeks to validate its territorial gains without ever committing to a definitive map. This strategy has enabled it to cultivate a network of both open and secret allies, even among Arab nations, effectively turning regional neighbors into partners in its “frontier” logic.

This is the shift from physical conquest to systemic hegemony.

The symbolic and the religious are frequently invoked here; historical narratives and biblical references are weaponized to frame these strategic choices as a “divine right” rather than a flagrant violation of modern international norms.

By refusing to settle within fixed borders, Israel maintains a permanent “frontier mentality” that thrives on perpetual conflict and the constant outward push of its influence.

Today, “Greater Israel” is a fact on the ground—a strategic reality that stretches its shadow from the borders of Iran to the gates of Egypt. This is a state defined not by geography, but by the “Red Lines” it imposes on others and the “Yellow Lines” it erases for itself. The inherent danger of this strategy is that such boundaries are unstable by design. When a state’s security is predicated on the constant movement of its political and physical boundaries, peace becomes a secondary concern.

In this framework, the primary goal is not coexistence, but a regional hegemony that ensures no border in the Middle East is ever truly inviolable.

OPINION: After the ceasefire illusion: Why Gaza’s “Day After” still has no buyer?

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.

Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/

Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.

Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.

Continue ReadingGreater Israel: Coming soon to a neighbour near you; lines may change without notice

Israel Strikes Lebanon Less Than an Hour After Trump Says It’s ‘PROHIBITED’ From More Attacks

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Original article by Stephen Prager republished form Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

Residents return to check the aftermath of their businesses and houses on the first day of a ceasefire agreement on April 17, 2026, north of Saida in Nabatieh, Lebanon. (Photo by Adri Salido/Getty Images)

“This fragile truce must not be undermined,” said the secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council.

Less than an hour after US President Donald Trump announced that Israel was “PROHIBITED” from attacking Lebanon under a 10-day ceasefire reached Friday, an Israeli drone strike reportedly killed at least one person in southern Lebanon.

Citing Lebanese media, The Times of Israel reported that an Israeli drone targeted a motorcycle between the southern towns of Khounine and Beit Yahoun. The Israel Defense Forces have not commented on the attack.

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It was the latest in what the Lebanese Army said on Friday morning were “a number of violations” of the ceasefire within hours of it going into effect at midnight local time on Friday, as well as “intermittent shelling targeting a number of villages.”

Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that hours after the ceasefire went into effect, Israel struck an ambulance in the town of Khounine, near the Israeli border, which resulted in multiple casualties among the medical workers.

Israeli attacks on Lebanon since early March have killed nearly 2,300 people, according to Lebanese health officials and forced evacuation orders from Israel have resulted in the displacement of more than 1.2 million.

Trump said in a Friday social media post that under the framework reached Friday, “Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer. They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the U.S.A. Enough is enough!!!”

The US president has insisted that any agreement between Israel and Lebanon is separate from his ongoing two-week truce with Iran. Although Iran also announced on Friday that, following the Lebanon agreement, it stopped blocking travel through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi has specified that “the passage for all commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of the ceasefire” between Israel and Lebanon.

Trump has claimed that the Iranian government “agreed to never close the Strait of Hormuz again,” and that the US will maintain its naval blockade of Iran.

Israel’s continued attacks on Lebanon have already put the peace deal between the US and Iran in jeopardy. After Iran briefly reopened the strait in response to the two-week ceasefire earlier this month, it began blocking travel again after Israel launched its most devastating attacks on Lebanon of the entire war, which killed hundreds of civilians.

Israel launched the attacks despite Lebanon having initially been announced as a party to the ceasefire, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then Trump quickly rejected.

After another agreement with Israel was reached on Friday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun urged that the opportunity “must not be squandered because it may not come again.”

According to the US State Department, the agreement reached Friday still grants Israel the “right to take all necessary measures in self-defense, at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks.” However, it is not clear at this time what imminent attack Friday’s strikes were intended to prevent.

Israel routinely violated its previous ceasefire with Lebanon that began in November 2024, with more than 10,000 air and land attacks over the first year, which the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said demonstrated a “total disregard of the ceasefire agreement.” It has done the same in Gaza, where hundreds of Palestinians have been killed since a ceasefire began in October 2025.

Netanyahu said on Friday that despite the ceasefire, Israel will continue its occupation of Southern Lebanon, where satellite images show the military has totally razed several towns and villages in what Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has described as a continuation of the “Gaza model,” which left most buildings in the strip totally destroyed.

Israel’s military spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued an “urgent message” to displaced Lebanese civilians following the ceasefire, urging them not to return to their homes south of the Litani River “until further notice.”

According to The Associated Press, thousands have begun heading home regardless to find their villages reduced to rubble.

“Across the country, roads are already congested with hopeful families trying to return to their homes. That alone shows how deeply people want this war to end,” said Jan Egeland, the Norwegian Refugee Council’s secretary general.

“This fragile truce must not be undermined. We cannot afford a repeat of the ineffective 2024 ceasefire, which saw countless violations. Worryingly, there are already reports of violations by the Israeli army, which also issued a warning against civilians returning to their homes south of the Litani river, home to hundreds of thousands of people,” Egeland said. “For this ceasefire to be meaningful for civilians, it must lead to a real and durable halt in hostilities.”

Original article by Stephen Prager republished form Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
UK Labour Party government ministers Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves explain that they are partners complicit in Israel's Gaza genocide. The UK has provided Israel with arms, military and air force support. They explain that they don't do gas chambers but do do forced marches, starvation, destroy hospitals, mass-murders of journalists and healthcare workers.
UK Labour Party government ministers Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves explain that they are partners complicit in Israel’s Gaza genocide. The UK has provided Israel with arms, military and air force support. They explain that they don’t do gas chambers but do do forced marches, starvation, destroy hospitals, mass-murders of journalists and healthcare workers.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.

Continue ReadingIsrael Strikes Lebanon Less Than an Hour After Trump Says It’s ‘PROHIBITED’ From More Attacks

As Iran war rages, Netanyahu builds ‘Greater Israel’ from Palestinian and Lebanese land

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Original article by J.E. Rosenberg republished from People’s World under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu points to his map of ‘the New Middle East’ during his address to the United Nations General Assembly, Sept. 22, 2023. | Richard Drew / AP

As the U.S.- Israeli wars across West Asia widen, a clearer picture is emerging of Israel’s long-term strategic and ideological objectives, and they go far beyond claims of “security” or “self-defense.”

This week, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich made that reality explicit. Speaking publicly amid Israel’s escalating assault on Lebanon, he declared that Israel’s northern border “must be the Litani River,” calling for the outright conquest and annexation of southern Lebanon.

This is not fringe rhetoric. It is a statement from a senior cabinet minister, and one that aligns with military actions already underway on the ground.

Israeli forces are not merely striking Hezbollah positions. They are systematically reshaping southern Lebanon: Vital [b]ridges over the Litani River have been destroyed, cutting off civilian movement and isolating the south from the rest of Lebanon. Entire villages are being leveled and depopulated, as the Israeli government calls for the demolition of homes and other civilian infrastructure. This has led to over a million Lebanese already being displaced.

Rather than taking temporary battlefield measures, the Israeli army is putting in place the material preconditions for territorial reorganization.

Military planners and political leaders are increasingly aligned around the idea of a permanent “buffer zone” south of the Litani. Such language has historically often preceded de facto annexation, and Smotrich’s statement removes any ambiguity. The goal is a permanently expanded Israel.

What is now unfolding in Lebanon follows the pattern already visible in Gaza. Israeli officials and lawmakers have repeatedly called for the resettlement of Gaza by Israeli settlers and the absorption of large portions of its territory into Israel. Many in Israeli leadership have even called for the depopulation of Gaza to build a Jewish majority in the territory. The destruction of entire cities like Rafah and Beit Hanoun has already emptied former population centers of their residents.

In Lebanon, Israeli leaders are explicitly invoking this precedent. Government figures have urged applying the “Gaza model” to southern Lebanon, meaning the destruction of villages, displacing populations, and then redefining control on the ground.

Gaza and Lebanon are thus not two separate wars; they are two avenues in pursuit of the same strategy. While bombs fall in Gaza and Lebanon, the West Bank is undergoing its own transformation. Israeli settler violence, mass expulsions, and military raids have intensified alongside open political calls to formally annex that territory, as well. Entire Palestinian communities are being pushed off their land, often under direct protection of the Israeli military.

There is no large-scale bombardment as in Gaza and Lebanon, but the goal of removing the population and normalizing such actions remains the same.

At the same time, Israel has expanded its military operations deeper into Syria, targeting Iranian-linked infrastructure and asserting “freedom of action” across the country. Just this week, Israeli forces entered the Syrian city of Qunetra, set up road blocks, and arrested residents, as if Israel already had legal jurisdiction over this Syrian city.

These strikes are being framed as preemptive defense, but taken together with operations in Gaza and Lebanon, they reflect a broader doctrine. Israel is showing it intends to reshape the entire region through force, regardless of sovereignty.

The messianic vision of a Greater Israel

What ties these fronts together is not simply conflict with Hamas, Hezbollah, or Iran. It is a coherent territorial and political project known as The Greater Israel Project. Proponents of this idea have long called for Israel to expand its borders south into Egypt and northward and westward to the Euphrates River. Their claim is based on Biblical passages that say God promised these lands to Abraham’s descendants.

While this idea was once rightfully scene as fringe, religious fanaticism, it has become increasingly mainstream. U.S. Ambassador to Israel and famed Chritisan Zionist Mike Huckabee recently endorsed such a vision during an interview with Tucker Carlson. Even the supposed secular and “liberal” leader of the Israeli opposition, Yair Lapid, said he supported the idea of expanding Israel to match the biblical description.

What’s happening on the ground shows that such talk is not simply empty rhetoric for religious constituents but a plan being put into action. Smotrich’s statement is significant not because it is shocking, but because it is consistent. It articulates openly what Israeli policy has been implementing incrementally: the use of war to redraw borders and reshape demographics across the region.

These wars by Israel are materially enabled and politically shielded by the United States. The current escalation—particularly the joint U.S.-Israeli war against Iran—has created the conditions under which these expansionist, fanatical aims can be pursued under the cover of a broader regional conflict.

The Trump administration continues to frame these actions as part of a defensive alliance, but the outcome on the ground expanding war, mass displacement, and the steady erosion of national sovereignty across multiple countries.

The danger of the current moment lies in its normalization. Greater Israel was once an idea the fascist right wing carefully whispered about only among like-minded people. Today, it has become official policy of the Israeli government, with the backing of the United States.

The question is no longer whether such plans exist. It is whether they will be allowed to proceed unchallenged. If the Litani River becomes Israel’s new northern border, it will not be the end of the process. From there, history suggests, the map will not stop changing.

As with all op-eds and news analytical articles published by People’s World, the views expressed here are those of the author.

J.E. Rosenberg grew up in an extremist, religious Zionist household in the U.S. After moving to Israel as a young adult, he changed his world views. He left Israel and is now a member of the Communist Party.

Original article by J.E. Rosenberg republished from People’s World under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/.

Keir Starmer explains that UK is participating defensively in Trump and Israel's criminal war for Israel's genocidal expansion in Iran and states that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said "I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is participating defensively in Trump and Israel’s criminal war for Israel’s genocidal expansion in Iran and states that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Donald Trump warns against following the https://onaquietday.org blog, says that it's easy atm, she only needs to report war crimes supporting Israel's genocidal expansion.
Donald Trump warns against following the https://onaquietday.org blog, says that it’s easy atm, she only needs to report war crimes supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner are called evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump,
Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner are called
evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Continue ReadingAs Iran war rages, Netanyahu builds ‘Greater Israel’ from Palestinian and Lebanese land