Roumani Line

Feature image by cottonbro studio

Note on “Greater Israel”: The term means different things to different people — from Chomsky’s use (Jordan to the Mediterranean), to the conspiracy version common in the region (Nile to Euphrates), which most Israelis reject. Here I use it simply to mean the future borders Israel may seek as Turkey and Iran press closer.

Rehau — Debates about Israel’s war after October 7, 2023, often fall into binaries: is this about fighting terrorism, or about realizing the dream of a “Greater Israel”? Critics use the phrase as an accusation; defenders reject it as slander. Yet across the Middle East, rival powers are also reaching for “greater” versions of themselves. Iran promotes its Shiite crescent. Turkey nurtures neo-Ottoman ambitions. In the twentieth century, Syria, Egypt, and Iraq pursued Arab nationalism across the region. Why should Israel alone be denied the question: what would a Greater Israel look like—and could it succeed?