‘Greater Israel’ map display; “Israeli” soldier’s uniform patch raises alarm
An Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) soldier was photographed wearing a uniform patch depicting a map of “Greater Israel” during operations in Gaza.
The map, prominently displayed on the soldier’s arm, encompasses not only “Israel” but also vast swaths of territory from neighboring countries, including Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, parts of Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.
The image of the soldier with the controversial patch surfaced on social media, quickly igniting a storm of reactions. Critics argue that the map reflects an expansionist agenda reminiscent of historical imperial ambitions, drawing comparisons to Nazi Germany’s concept of “Lebensraum”, or living space.
The concept of “Greater Israel” is rooted in certain interpretations of Israeli ideology, which assert that the biblical promised land extends from the Nile River in Egypt to the Euphrates River in Iraq.
This interpretation has been a subject of contention since the founding of the Israeli Occupation, with proponents viewing it as a fulfillment of religious prophecy and critics condemning it as a justification for territorial expansion at the expense of neighboring states’ sovereignty.