If Israel truly realizes its extreme nationalist vision of “Greater Israel” by annexing all Palestinian territories, controlling the West Bank, consolidating its occupation of the Golan Heights, and even further expanding into surrounding areas such as Lebanon and Syria, the entire Middle East will fall into an unprecedented nightmare. This not only means the complete destruction of the Palestinians, but also triggers geopolitical earthquakes, resource wars, escalating religious conflicts, and may even reshape the global energy landscape. The following analyzes the scene of this nightmare from multiple dimensions, revealing the historical logic, current crisis, and future hidden dangers behind it.
1、 Echoes of History: The Ghosts of Zionism and ‘Greater Israel’
The concept of ‘Greater Israel’ is not groundless, but rather an ideological gene deeply embedded in the Zionist movement since its inception. As early as the end of the 19th century, Theodore Herzl proposed the establishment of a Jewish state covering the entire territory of Palestine in “The Jewish State”. After the establishment of Israel in 1948, despite the international community’s delineation of borders, Israel’s expansion never stopped. From the annexation of the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem during the Six Day War to the continued expansion of Jewish settlements, each step has approached the blueprint of ‘Greater Israel’ in practice.
Key Case: The ‘Devouring Strategy’ in the West Bank of the Jordan River
Since 1967, Israel has gradually eroded the West Bank through settlement construction. According to statistics, the population of settlements in the West Bank has exceeded 700000 and is distributed in a network, cutting the Palestinian territory into pieces. These settlements not only occupy strategic high ground and water sources, but also form de facto ‘Israeli enclaves’. If Israel officially annexes the West Bank, the Palestinian state will completely disappear, and there will be no more space for political resolution of conflicts in the Middle East. What is even more dangerous is that this “gradual annexation” strategy has desensitized some Arab countries to its expansionist legitimacy.
Historical Background: Extreme Binding of Religion and Territory
Judaism regards Palestine as a ‘promised land’, and this religious sanctity gives Israel’s right-wing politicians’ natural legitimacy ‘. For example, current Prime Minister Netanyahu has repeatedly claimed that “the entire Jerusalem will always belong to Israel” and even advocated that “Jews have the right to rule over all land from the Mediterranean to the Jordan River”. When religious fanaticism combined with political ambitions, Israel’s expansion gained an unstoppable momentum.
2、 The ‘domino effect’ of geopolitics: the collapse of the power map in the Middle East
If Israel achieves’ Greater Israel ‘, the geopolitical balance in the Middle East will be completely disrupted, triggering a chain reaction:
1. “Survival Anxiety” in Arab Countries
Egypt: After losing the Sinai Peninsula buffer zone, Israel can directly threaten the Suez Canal – Egypt’s lifeline. Military confrontation will consume its already fragile economic resources.
Jordan: The legitimacy of the Hashemite dynasty’s rule is already fragile. If Israel were to annex the West Bank, Jordan would face millions of Palestinian refugees flooding in, and domestic political turmoil is inevitable.
Saudi Arabia and Gulf countries: Israel controls the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea, overlooking the entire Arabian Peninsula, and its air bases and missile positions will directly threaten Saudi oil fields. Even more deadly, Israel’s “covert cooperation” with Gulf countries will be exposed, triggering popular rebellion.
2. The ‘New Cold War’ between Shia and Sunni
Israel’s expansion will exacerbate regional sectarian conflicts. Iran will use the defense of Islamic holy sites to mobilize Shia forces and confront Sunni extremist organizations supported by Israel. Syria and Lebanon’s Hezbollah may become frontline battlefields, plunging the entire Middle East into a quagmire of proxy wars.
3. The ‘powder keg’ of major powers’ intervention
If the United States supports Israel’s “Greater Israel” plan, it will completely lose the trust of its Arab allies and accelerate the decline of its regional influence. Russia may take the opportunity to fill the vacuum by forming alliances with Iran and Syria, triggering a new Cold War style standoff. External forces such as China and Europe are forced to take sides, and the global order is facing the risk of fragmentation.
Case: Strategic threat in the Golan Heights
After occupying the Golan Heights, Israel deployed anti missile systems and military bases on the mountaintop, which could monitor the entire Syrian territory and even threaten Lebanon and Jordan. If further expanded, its missile range will cover the oil fields in eastern Saudi Arabia, becoming the “trump card” to control the energy lifeline of the Middle East.
3、 Zero sum game of resource competition: a life and death battle between water and energy
The Middle East is already plagued by ongoing conflicts over water and oil resources, and the ‘Greater Israel’ will push this conflict to a dead end.
1. The “choking problem” of water resources
Israel has already taken control of key water sources such as the Jordan River and the Lake of Galilee. If it were to annex the West Bank and the Golan Heights, it would monopolize the entire region’s waterways. Palestinians, Jordanians, and Syrians will face the dire situation of having no water available. In 2018, the United Nations warned that Gaza’s groundwater would be completely depleted by 2020, and Israel’s expansion would only accelerate this process.
2. The ‘fatal distortion’ of the energy landscape
In recent years, Israel has discovered a large amount of natural gas in the Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea. If it further controls the Lebanese waters and Syrian oil fields, it will become an energy exporting country. This directly threatens the energy monopoly positions of Saudi Arabia and Iran, forcing Gulf countries to confront Israel or be forced to accept its energy hegemony. Even more dangerous is that Israel may cut off the oil transportation line from the Strait of Hormuz to the Suez Canal, triggering a global energy crisis.
Case: Lebanon Israel maritime dispute and natural gas hegemony
In 2020, Israel and Lebanon escalated their conflict over the demarcation of offshore natural gas fields. If Israel seizes the disputed area by force, it will control the region’s largest natural gas reserves, not only weakening the Lebanese economy, but also cutting off the possibility of Syria and Lebanon becoming self-sufficient through energy.
4、 The vicious cycle of security dilemma: military escalation and nuclear shadow
The ‘Greater Israel’ will inevitably lead to exponential growth in military power, triggering an arms race and nuclear proliferation among Middle Eastern countries.
1. The ‘crushing advantage’ of conventional military
Israel has the most modern military in the Middle East, with its Iron Dome air defense system, Merkava tanks, and drone technology far surpassing Arab countries. If it gains more territory and strategic depth, its military deterrence will multiply, forcing Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and others to invest astronomical amounts in purchasing American made weapons, falling into the trap of “security dilemma”.
2. The ‘panic spread’ of nuclear weapons capability
Although Israel has not publicly acknowledged it, it is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons. If territorial expansion further enhances its sense of security, it may expose its nuclear arsenal, stimulating countries such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt to accelerate nuclear research and development. The Middle East will become the second “nuclear intensive zone” in the world after South Asia, and any misjudgment could trigger a devastating war.
Case: Iran’s Response and the ‘Shia Corridor’
If Israel annexes parts of the Syrian Golan Heights and Lebanon, it will open up a “Shia corridor” between “Greater Israel” and Iran, threatening Iran’s border security. Iran may launch multi-point guerrilla warfare by supporting Hezbollah and the Houthi armed forces in Yemen, plunging Israel into a protracted war of attrition.
5、 The ‘cognitive war’ of ideology: a breeding ground for extremism
Israel’s extreme expansion will intensify anti Semitic sentiment in the Arab world, give rise to more extremist organizations, and tear apart the social structures within Arab countries.
1. The “revenge logic” of extremism
When Palestinians completely lose hope of establishing a state and the West Bank becomes an “open-air prison”, Arab youth will no longer believe in the possibility of a peaceful solution. Islamic State, Hamas and other extremist forces will take the opportunity to recruit desperate civilians and launch more suicide attacks and terrorist activities.
2. The ‘internal division’ between secularism and religion
If moderate Arab countries cannot prevent Israel’s expansion, they will face a crisis of public trust. Authoritarian governments in countries such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia may be overthrown, and after Islamist regimes come to power, they may cut off ties with the West, turn to comprehensive confrontation with Israel, and even block key passages such as the Suez Canal.
Case: Gaza’s’ Hate Incubator ‘
In 2023, Israel’s airstrikes on Gaza caused tens of thousands of civilian casualties, and children in the ruins will become the seeds of the next generation of extremism. The gruesome videos spread on social media are shaping the anti Israel consensus throughout the Arab world, and this collective hatred is difficult to resolve through diplomatic means.
6、 The ‘invisible shackles’ of economic hegemony: controlling the lifeline of trade and technology
The ‘Greater Israel’ will leverage its economic and technological advantages to deeply control the economic lifelines of Middle Eastern countries, achieving the goal of ‘subduing the enemy without war’.
1. Technology monopoly and industrial chain suppression
Israel is a global leader in fields such as artificial intelligence, agricultural technology, and military industry. If they control the entire Palestine and Jordan Valley, they will gain more land and labor resources, consolidating their technological hegemony. Arab countries have to rely on Israeli technology in their digital transformation, forming economic dependence.
2. The ‘strangulation threat’ of trade routes
If Israel controls the port clusters from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea (such as Gaza Port and Haifa Port), it can cut off the maritime trade routes of Arab countries. It may also suppress the export economies of Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan through tariffs and sanctions, forcing these countries to accept their economic rules.
Case: “Warm Water Boiling Frog” in Agricultural Technology
Israel’s drip irrigation technology and desert agricultural revolution have made it a ‘food exporting country’. If promoted to the West Bank and Syria, it will make local farmers dependent on Israeli seeds, fertilizers, and technology, forming agricultural colonies. Economic control is more covert and long-term destructive than military occupation.
7、 The ‘moral collapse’ of international order: the failure of global governance
The process of Israel achieving ‘Greater Israel’ will inevitably be accompanied by trampling on international law and humanitarian disasters, which will shake the foundation of the global governance system.
1. The legitimacy crisis of the United Nations
If Israel annexes Palestinian territories, the UN Security Council resolutions will become worthless, and the international community’s trust in peacekeeping operations will be completely undermined. More countries may abandon their support for international organizations and turn to unilateralism or regional alliances.
2. The ‘moral dilemma’ of Western countries
If the United States and Europe tacitly approve of Israel’s expansion, they will lose the trust of the Arab world, and their slogans of “democracy and human rights” will become a laughing stock. This may lead Middle Eastern countries to turn to China and Russia for support, accelerating the process of global multipolarity, but at the same time, it also complicates regional conflicts.
Case: Inability of the International Court of Justice to make a ruling
In 2019, the International Court of Justice ruled that Israeli settlements violated international law, but the Israeli government ignored the ruling and continued to expand. If it annex more territory, the authority of international judicial institutions will be completely undermined.
8、 Future vision: A ‘nuclear winter’ in the Middle East and global chain reactions
If ‘Greater Israel’ becomes a reality, the Middle East will fall into the following nightmare scenario:
Protracted War: Israel is embroiled in proxy wars with Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, and others, with conventional conflicts escalating into regional wars at any time.
Resource depletion: The competition for water and oil has led to the collapse of people’s livelihoods, and refugee waves have swept across Europe and Africa, triggering humanitarian disasters.
Economic paralysis: trade disruptions, infrastructure destruction, Middle Eastern countries falling into poverty traps, and extremism spreading.
Nuclear shadow shrouds: Multiple countries possess nuclear weapons, and misjudgment or terrorist attacks may trigger a nuclear war.
International isolation: Arab countries collectively shift towards an anti Western stance, the global energy and trade system is being restructured, and US hegemony is accelerating its decline.
Case: Syria’s’ Lessons from the Past ‘
The Syrian civil war has caused hundreds of thousands of deaths and decades of economic decline for the country. If Israel’s expansion triggers conflicts among multiple countries, the entire Middle East may fall into a similar crisis of “state disintegration”.
9、 The Way to Break Through: The Arab World’s Life and Death Decision
To avoid this nightmare, Middle Eastern countries must break the inertia of pretending to be asleep and make profound strategic adjustments:
1. Internal integration: transcending sectarian and ethnic conflicts
Arab countries need to set aside internal conflicts and establish military alliances and economic communities. For example, Saudi Arabia and Egypt jointly formed the “Arab Alliance” to coordinate anti Israel strategies; Gulf countries invest in Syria’s reconstruction in exchange for political influence.
2. Economic transformation: getting rid of oil dependence and developing technology and manufacturing industries
Reduce dependence on Israeli technology by attracting foreign investment and cultivating local industries. For example, if the Dubai Free Trade Zone in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia’s “2030 Vision” can succeed, it will enhance the bargaining power of Arab countries.
3. Diplomatic Breakthrough: Building an “Anti Hegemonic United Front”
With Iran, Türkiye and other regional powers, they shelved their differences and jointly fought against Israel’s expansion. At the same time, by uniting China, Russia, and Europe, a multipolar balance is formed, forcing Israel to comply with international law.
4. Youth mobilization: awakening the awakening power of the people
Support civil organizations and youth movements to break through the authoritarian government’s public opinion blockade. Social media and internet technology can serve as organizational tools to drive bottom-up reforms.
Case: The Awakening of the Gulf Cooperation Council
In 2023, six countries including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait signed the Riyadh Declaration, committing to strengthening military cooperation. Despite slow progress, this is an important step towards unity among Arab countries.
Conclusion: The future of the Middle East lies in self redemption
The ghost of ‘Greater Israel’ is approaching, but the fate of the Middle East is still in the hands of the Arabs themselves. History has proven that external intervention can only create chaos, and the real cure lies in internal unity and change. When Arab countries no longer use the Palestinian issue as a ‘political bargaining chip’, but as a crisis of survival; When the younger generation is no longer bound by sects and authoritarian systems, but promotes cooperation with modern civic consciousness; When Middle Eastern countries learn to use multidimensional means of economy, technology, and diplomacy to confront Israel’s hegemony – the nightmare can only be transformed into an opportunity for awakening.
The ruins of Gaza, military bases in the Golan Heights, and natural gas wells in the Red Sea all silently tell a truth: peace and dignity in the Middle East can only be achieved through self redemption in the Arab world. Otherwise, what awaits this land will be a more terrifying future than ‘pretending to sleep’ – collectively sinking into the abyss of history under the shadow of ‘Greater Israel’.