Is Israel Creating a "Greater Israel"?

TL;DR

Israel is expanding territorial control across Gaza, the West Bank, Golan Heights, Lebanon, and Syria, with key officials explicitly endorsing annexation.

Key Points

• 1.Israel's Gaza strategy signals long-term takeover ambitions. Despite Netanyahu claiming Israel doesn't want to keep Gaza, plans for 'the day after' are thin; the US and Israel privately discussed paying Gazans $5,000 each to relocate, and far-right minister Smotrich openly calls for resettling Gaza.
• 2.West Bank annexation is advancing rapidly under Netanyahu. Israel approved record settlement building permits in 2023, declared more West Bank land as state land than ever in 2024, and approved the controversial E1 project—which Smotrich says will 'bury the idea of a Palestinian state.'
• 3.Smotrich is pushing to annex 82% of the West Bank. His plan targets 'maximum territory, minimum Arab population,' leaving only six non-contiguous Palestinian population centers unannexed; the Israeli Knesset also voted overwhelmingly in favor of a symbolic annexation motion.
• 4.Israel has expanded into Syrian and Lebanese territory since Assad's fall. Israel seized the UN buffer zone in the Golan, positioned forces on Mount Hermon overlooking Damascus, and remains in five locations across the Lebanese border indefinitely, with its defense minister saying troops will stay 'unlimited' time.
• 5.The US is providing Israel near-unconditional diplomatic cover. Envoy Tom Barrack said Israel will 'go where they want, when they want,' and Ambassador Mike Huckabee said the US will not tell Israel what to do, leaving Israel virtually unconstrained by international opinion.