Islamic countries, including Maldives, denounce Netanyahu’s plans for ‘Greater Israel’

A coalition of dozens of Arab and Islamic countries, including the Maldives, have denounced statements made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding his vision for a “Greater Israel”.

The “Greater Israel” concept supported by ultranationalist Israelis is understood to refer to an expansionist vision that lays claim to the occupied West Bank, Gaza, parts of Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Jordan.

In an interview with the Israeli i24NEWS channel that aired on August 12, Netanyahu was asked whether he “feels a connection” to the idea of “Greater Israel,” to which he replied: “very much.” He further stated that he sees himself “on a historic and spiritual mission” that links “generations of Jews that dreamt of coming here and generations of Jews who will come after."

The Maldives, alongside 30 other Arab and Islamic countries, as well as the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the Gulf Cooperation Council, issued a joint statement on Friday condemning the remarks.

“These statements represent a grave disregard for, and a blatant and dangerous violation of, the rules of international law and the foundations of stable international relations,” said a joint statement by the coalition.

“They also constitute a direct threat to Arab national security, to the sovereignty of states, and to regional and international peace and security.”

They also denounced Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s announcement on August 14 to push ahead with settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, describing it as “a blatant violation of international law and a flagrant assault on the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to realize their independent, sovereign state on the lines of June 4, 1967, with Occupied Jerusalem as its capital”.

They stressed that Israel has no sovereignty over occupied Palestinian territory.

Smotrich had said he would approve thousands of housing units in a long-delayed illegal settlement project in the West Bank, saying the move “buries the idea of a Palestinian state”.

Last September, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) overwhelmingly adopted a resolution calling on Israel to end its illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories within 12 months.

The resolution backed an advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – the UN’s top court – which found that Israel’s presence in the Palestinian territories is unlawful and must end. In January 2024, the ICJ said Israel was “plausibly committing genocide”. The top UN court has yet to announce its verdict in the case brought by South Africa.

Netanyahu and Smotrich made the remarks during Israel’s devastating 22-month war on Gaza, which has killed over 61,000 people and wounded over 155,000 people in the enclave.

On August 8, Israel’s Security Cabinet approved Netanyahu’s plan to fully occupy Gaza City.

And on Sunday, Israel announced preparations to forcibly evacuate Palestinians from “combat zones” to concentration zones in southern Gaza.

In their statement on Friday, the Islamic countries reiterated their “rejection and condemnation of Israel’s crimes of aggression, genocide, and ethnic cleansing” in Gaza and highlighted the need for a ceasefire in the enclave while “ensuring unconditional access to humanitarian aid to halt the systematic starvation policy used by Israel as a weapon of genocide”.

They also reaffirmed their “complete and absolute rejection of the displacement of the Palestinian people in any form and under any pretext” and called on the international community to pressure Israel to halt its aggression and fully withdraw from the Gaza Strip.