Jordan’s prime minister calls ‘Greater Israel’ idea ‘illusion’

AMMAN, Jordan/ISTANBUL

Jordanian Prime Minister Jafar Hassan on Tuesday called the so-called “Greater Israel” vision an “illusion,” stressing that Tel Aviv is “isolated” due to its “extremist” policies.

“We hear about visions and proposals that imply a perpetual war with no end, such as the illusion of Greater Israel entertained by extremist politicians in Israel,” Hassan said during a meeting in Amman with his Lebanese counterpart, Nawaf Salam, who arrived in the Jordanian capital early Tuesday for an unannounced visit.

He said Israel is “isolated and besieged because of its extremist policies.”

“The entire reality points to (Israeli) policies that deepen hatred and resentment as a result of ongoing massacres, and the peoples of the world and the region will not forgive them,” he added in his comments carried by the official Petra news agency.

“Greater Israel” is a Biblical term used in Israeli politics to refer to the expansion of Israel’s territory to include the West Bank, Gaza, Syria’s Golan Heights, Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, and parts of Jordan.
Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a news channel that he feels “very attached” to the vision of a Greater Israel. He said he considers himself “on a historic and spiritual mission” which “generations of Jews that dreamt of coming here and generations of Jews who will come after us.”

The Lebanese premier, for his part, said Israel was moving “from one state of isolation to another in the world.”

While hailing Jordan’s support for Lebanon, Salam said Beirut relies heavily on Amman’s regional and international influence “at this critical stage.”

Both premiers underscored the need to halt Israel’s war on Gaza, its attacks in the occupied West Bank, and the growing regional escalation.

Israel “bears full legal and humanitarian responsibility for the collapse of the aid system in Gaza,” Hassan said, adding that the “daily massacres and starvation” in Gaza require immediate opening of the territory’s crossings.

The Lebanese premier also met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, who reaffirmed his country’s full support for Lebanon’s security, sovereignty, and stability, according to a royal court statement.

The monarch emphasized the need to expand Jordanian-Lebanese cooperation, especially in the economic field, and called for continued coordination with regional and international partners to achieve stability.

Abdullah also reiterated Jordan’s firm rejection of Israel’s plans to expand its control over the occupied West Bank and the region.

On Monday, Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani accused the far-right in Israel of “threatening the region and undermining prospects for a two-state solution.”

Israel has killed more than 62,100 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave and brought it to the verge of famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.