New Arab – January 8, 2025
Arabs condemn 'biblical Israel map' annexing neighbouring lands
Israel published a map on Tuesday alleging the ancient Jewish kingdom’s territorial control over parts of modern-day Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt.
Palestinian and Arab officials have condemned the publication of a map on the Israeli government's Arabic-language Instagram account which depicts parts of the occupied Palestinian territories and neighboring Arab lands as part of "greater Israel".
The post sparked outrage from Palestinians and Arab countries, who called on the international community to rein in Israel's expansionist ambitions and prevent it from attempting to seize more Palestinian and Arab territory.
A spokesperson for Jordan's foreign ministry condemned the post "in the strongest terms" and described the illustration as "allegations and illusions" promoted by Israel's right wing to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Qatar's foreign ministry said the map "claiming to represent historical Israel" was a "flagrant violation" of international norms, warning that Israel's evident aspirations could further hinder the chances of peace in the region.
Doha called on the international community to "fulfil its legal and moral responsibilities by pressuring the Israeli occupation to comply with international legitimacy resolutions and confront its expansionist ambitions in Arab lands".
Hamas also rejected in a Telegram statement calls to annex territories marked on the map as "a confirmation of the Israeli occupation's aggressive nature and expansionist ambitions".
It said Israel's "hostile policies and repetitive public statements… necessitate strong stances and measures by the Arab League and Arab and Muslim governments to confront these ambitions and stop the continuing Zionist crimes against our Palestinian people".
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the spokesman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, also denounced the map and described it as "a blatant violation of all international legitimacy resolutions and laws", according to Wafa.
The Arab League also condemned the map, with Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit warning on Wednesday that the provocation risks inflaming extremism.
The publication of the map comes as extremist ministers in the Israeli government talk up prospects of a full Israeli annexation of the occupied West Bank and the rebuilding of settlements in Gaza - both Palestinian territories illegally occupied by Israel since 1967.
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in November declared that "2025 will be the year of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria", referring to the occupied West Bank.
The minister, who also heads a government body managing Israel's illegal settlements, ordered preparations for the eventual seizure of the Palestinian territory.
Donald Trump's imminent return to the White House has raised fears the next US administration will be even more permissive towards Israeli expansionism than Joe Biden, who did little to curb the spread of settlements - illegal under international law - during his term in office.
Several senior figures in Trump’s hard-right administration have voiced support for Israeli annexation, including his ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.
Smotrich hailed Trump's election win in November and called it an opportunity to "apply sovereignty" in the occupied Palestinian territories.
https://www.newarab.com/news/arabs-condemn-biblical-israel-map-annexing-neighbouring-lands
The Jerusalem Post – January 8, 2025
Biblical map posted by MFA stirs diplomatic storm
Jordanian, Palestinian outlets reject ‘fabrication of history’, denounce ‘allegations, illusions and vile aspirations’
By OHAD MERLIN
Israel’s foreign affairs ministry (MFA) has created a regional diplomatic storm after it published a biblical map that many in the Arab world view as “expansionist” and a direct threat to their sovereignty.
The map, uploaded by the ministry’s Arabic language X/Twitter account, showed the biblical boundaries of the kingdoms of Israel and Judea, which extended, according to the scriptures, into areas east of the Jordan River.
“Did you know that the Kingdom of Israel was established 3000 years ago?” reads the first sentence of the post.
The post then proceeded to portray the Biblical accounts of kings Saul, David, and Solomon, as well as the partition of the kingdom to the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judea, and their respective destruction and exile by the Assyrian and Babylonian empires.
The post concluded: “However, the Jewish people in the Diaspora continued to look forward to the revival of their powers and capabilities and the rebuilding of their state, which was declared in the State of Israel in 1948 to become the only democracy in the Middle East.”
Fabricating history
However, not everyone saw this as a simple history or cultural lesson. The map was featured in outlets across the Middle East, including Saudi channel Al-Arabiya, Qatari outlet Al Jazeera, and others, with most channels overlooking the map’s educational purpose and connecting it to alleged Israeli plans and schemes.
Such was the case with the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, which starkly condemned the publications made by the Israeli MFA.
“The ministry condemns in the strongest terms the maps of the region published by official Israeli accounts on social media platforms, claiming that they are historical for Israel, including parts of the occupied Palestinian territories, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria,” read the public statement.
It added that the publication comes “in conjunction with racist statements by the extremist Israeli Finance Minister calling for the annexation of the West Bank and the establishment of settlements in the Gaza Strip.”
The official spokesman for the ministry, Sufian Qudah, stressed the Kingdom’s “absolute rejection of these policies and provocative statements that aim to deny the Palestinians’ right to establish their independent and sovereign state.”
Qudah also stressed that these “allegations and delusions adopted and promoted by extremists in the Israeli government… encourage the continuation of cycles of violence and conflict, [which] constitute a blatant violation of international norms and laws.”
He also called on the Israeli government to “immediately stop these provocative actions and to stop the provocative statements made by Israeli officials, which have no place except in the minds of extremists and which contribute to fueling conflicts and constitute a threat to international peace and security.”
Likewise, the Jordanian speaker of Parliament, Ahmad al-Safadi, asserted that the maps “express a criminal mentality and malicious ambitions that cannot be ignored or tolerated.”
Palestinian commenters didn’t remain silent either, with the Palestinian Authority rejecting what it named “alleged maps of historical Israel that include Arab lands.”
In a formal statement, PA spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh denounced the “alleged map with a comment fabricating an Israeli history dating back thousands of years in line with the Hebrew allegations.” He added that “this behavior constitutes a flagrant violation of all international legitimacy resolutions and international law,” claiming that “these extremist Israeli policies are what ignited the region and led to the wars we are currently witnessing.”
Likewise, Palestinian writer Yaseen Izeddeen claimed on his X account that the publication of the maps “is not the first time and it will not be the last, but it is part of their beliefs that drive the occupation government.”
Izeddeen also contended that “the current rulers of Israel declare that Jordan is part of the Land of Israel, and these are old positions that go back more than a hundred years.”
He continued his critique, saying, “Jordan is among their aspirations, but they leave it for the next stage,” adding that Jordan’s rulers have “no choice but to listen and obey their masters in Tel Aviv and Washington.”
Despite this, not all voices were conspiratorial or rejecting. Loay al-Shareef, a peace activist from the Gulf, commented on the original post: “Sound words that are consistent with history, the Quran, the Bible, and archaeology.
It is worth noting that millions of Muslims bear the name of the Israelite king and prophet David, son of Yishai, whose historical kingdom’s denial poses a dilemma in the Islamic faith for those who are fanatical about the Palestinian cause.” …..
The Jerusalem Post contacted Israel’s MFA for a comment but had not received a response by press time.
