Sizing up Israel Foreign Ministry's biblical map: ‘Promised land’ provocation or expansion plan?

An alleged Biblical map of the Kingdom of Israel, shared by the Israeli Foreign Ministry's Arabic-language account on X, has touched off heated debates on social media and raised alarm among Arab officials.

What’s behind the commotion?

▪️The map depicts the boundaries of the ancient Kingdoms of Israel and Judah as described in the Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible.

▪️The biblical land overlaps with areas of modern-day Palestine, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.

▪️The post recounts the biblical story of the Kingdom of Israel, said to have existed 3,000 years ago, celebrates the revival of the Jewish people, and refers to Israel as "the only democracy in the Middle East."

Fierce social media debate erupts

▪️Many Arab-language users criticized the map, arguing that the biblical version of Israel’s history is allegedly not thoroughly supported by archaeological evidence or other historical sources.

▪️Some netizens took issue with Israel’s claim of being the “sole democracy in the Middle East”.

▪️Some characterized the post as a provocation, accusing Israel of being what they call an "occupying power" and of having "stolen" the land from Arabs.

Arab officials blast biblical map as deliberate provocation

▪️The PA: The Palestinian Authority condemned the map as a violation of international resolutions and laws.

▪️Jordanian Foreign Ministry: Amman denounced the map as "baseless" and "false," urging Tel Aviv to halt "provocative actions and reckless statements."

▪️Qatari Foreign Ministry: Doha warned that the publication of the map could undermine any peace prospects in the region, especially amid the ongoing Gaza war.

What is "Greater Israel"?

▪️Arab News associated the map with the concept of "Greater Israel," which envisions the expansion of Israel to the territorial boundaries outlined in the Tanakh.

▪️The Movement for Greater Israel was established after the Six-Day War of 1967, during which Israel captured the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, the Old City of Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights.

▪️The idea is popular with Israeli officials and the nation’s media. In 2024, Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated that "the future of Jerusalem is to expand to Damascus."

▪️In September, The Jerusalem Post published an article suggesting Lebanon could be part of Israel’s "promised land," though the piece was later removed.

▪️Following the downfall of now ex-Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Israel fully occupied the Golan Heights. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that this territory will remain an integral part of Israel "for eternity."

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Mideast expert doubts overextended Israel will clash with Türkiye or sustain occupation of Syria

A potential clash between Israel and Türkiye over Syria is unlikely to materialize soon, Ori Goldberg, an expert on Israeli politics, told Sputnik in light of a defense budget report by Tel Aviv's Nagel Committee.

"All these would-be wars against Syria, Türkiye, and other countries—they’re just tactics for deflection, meant to divert attention from how Israel has absolutely no sense of an endgame or direction regarding Gaza," Goldberg asserted.

The Nagel Committee's report suggested that Israel should gear up for a potential war with Turkiye and aligned Syrian factions, citing Erdogan’s alleged Ottoman aspirations.

In contrast, Turkish media has warned that Israel might attempt to capture Damascus as a means of limiting Turkiye’s strategic options in Syria.

"Israel is making very aggressive noises, but it doesn't truly have the capacity or capability to maintain the occupation of Syria or seize Damascus," Goldberg argued.

"Israel is vastly [and] profoundly overextended," he insisted.

The expert also questioned whether the incoming Trump administration would support Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's current aggressive policies.

Goldberg pointed to a video shared by US President-elect Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform. The video features Columbia University economics professor Jeffrey Sachs, who accused Netanyahu of warmongering and attempting to drag the US into a war against Iran.

"Israel has no clear sense of what it wants," Goldberg concluded. "And because of this lack of clarity, it is full of hot air. Trying to interpret these provocations as genuine chances for military engagement is not a productive exercise—at least, not at this stage," the expert claimed.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

NATO troops may be ill-prepared for any sort of Arctic war against Russia

While NATO may be yearning to take on Russia in the Arctic, many of its troops lack the necessary expertise for survival in such extreme conditions.

Though NATO forces routinely participate in the bloc’s drills in the region, many of them are still not prepared to survive in the Arctic’s harsh conditions, The Sun reports citing Minna Alander, researcher at Finnish Institute of International Affairs.

"Not all NATO allies have the capabilities that are needed and that work in the Arctic environment and climate,” Alander said.

Oscar Rosengren of the British private intelligence firm Grey Dynamics pointed to the proverbial elephant in the Arctic room in the form of “freezing temperatures, extreme weather and nature’s brutality.”

"Conventional masses of soldiers lack adequate training. Such negligence will inevitably bring fatal consequences," Rosengren stated, indicating the obvious.

These concerns, however, have not stopped NATO from beefing up its military presence in Northern countries such as Finland and threatening Russia’s Arctic borders, apparently unconcerned about the prospects of sending their soldiers to perish in those frozen lands.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Did Ukraine shoot itself in the foot by cutting off Russian gas transit to Europe?

Ukraine's decision to halt the transit of Russian natural gas to Europe, while detrimental to European economies, is also likely to have harmful repercussions for the Ukrainian leadership.

The recent arrival of an Arctic cold front in Europe, which has compelled countries in the region to burn through their fuel reserves more rapidly, combined with the halt of Russian pipeline gas flowing through Ukraine, has already resulted in a spike in gas prices across Europe.

Thus, European powers may become more inclined to seek a diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian conflict and less eager to meet Kiev’s incessant demands for more money and weapons, Forbes suggests.

According to the magazine, Ukraine’s European neighbors “may be less receptive” to Zelensky’s “requests for more military largess if their people are virtually freezing in their homes and their budgets are being eviscerated by massive natural gas cost increases.”

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Political ‘chutzpah’ on display: Zelensky eyes bid for another presidential term after nixing elections

Volodymyr Zelensky, the very politician who cracked down on the opposition and independent media in Ukraine, effectively steering the country into turmoil, is reportedly considering a bid for the presidency once again.

According to the Ukrainian media outlet Telegraf, members of Zelensky's inner circle assert that he has already decided to run for a second term, propped up by a 52% approval rating giving the presumption that he might be able to pull off a win.

However, the Ukrainian leader is said to be willing to enter the race only if Valery Zaluzhny, the former chief of Ukraine's armed forces, who enjoys considerable popularity, chooses not to oppose him.

In this context, it is rumored that Zaluzhny has been offered the position of Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament as an incentive to refrain from running against Zelensky.

Elected president of Ukraine in 2019, Volodymyr Zelensky refused to relinquish the reins of power when his term ended in May 2024. Instead, he indefinitely postponed presidential elections, citing the escalating conflict in Ukraine as an excuse.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Why Trump's Western Hemisphere takeover bid may bolster China

US President-elect Donald Trump appears eager to expand American influence by literally redrawing the map of the Western Hemisphere. But what’s driving these provocative ambitions?

Trump has previously floated the idea of acquiring Greenland from Denmark, reclaiming the Panama Canal from Panama, and even turning Canada into the 51st US state. However, these bold plans make no sense, Shaun Narine, a Canadian professor of international relations and political science at St. Thomas University, told Sputnik.

🔸Greenland

"Greenland has been a strange obsession for him in the past. I think for him, Greenland is entirely about the natural resources," Narine explained, suggesting this fixation could stem from the US-China competition over rare earth minerals and strategic logistic routes. Yet, even if the US acquired Greenland, it would struggle to surpass China in this domain.

"China controls the entire supply chain from mining all the way to full processing," Narine noted.

🔸Panama Canal

Trump has also justified reclaiming the Panama Canal by pointing to alleged Chinese control over the waterway.

"Nonsensical," Narine countered. "It really does make no difference whatsoever to the Americans whether they control the Canal. It's not like anyone's trying to stop American maritime traffic from going through it."

🔸Canada as America’s 51st State

Trump’s remarks about turning Canada into the 51st state, coupled with tariff threats, have alarmed Canadians. Narine characterized the comments as absurd and akin to blackmail.

"You don’t want someone who’s unstable and unpredictable in a powerful position—it simply creates economic and political instability in what should be a mature relationship," he emphasized.

🔸Trump’s Western Hemisphere plans vs. China’s win-win strategy

While Trump frames China as the US’s main global competitor and seeks to isolate it, Narine assumed that these strategies may push other nations closer to Beijing.

"China is more reliable, more predictable," he said. "It frankly doesn’t violate international law as much as the United States. It avoids intervention and uses economic means to build relations with other countries. And it always emphasizes win-win relationships."

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇲🇽 Mexican president suggests renaming the US to America Mexicana

In response to Trump's idea to rename the Gulf of Mexico, President Claudia Sheinbaum emphasized that the name has been given to the place since 1607. She offered a counterproposal based on historical data.

Let's call it [the US] Mexican America. Sounds nice, doesn't it?

She also dismissed Trump's claims that Mexico is run by cartels.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

⚡️ Boko Haram militants carried out a terrorist attack near Chad's presidential palace in N'Djamena, causing casualties, according to Al Arabiya. President Mahamat Idris Deby was reportedly inside at the time.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

⚡️🔪 US Capitol Police arrested a man with a machete and three knives attempting to enter the Capitol complex as former President Jimmy Carter lay in state. Weapons were found during an X-ray screening in the Visitor Center. He faces charges for carrying dangerous weapons.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️ Trump's Ukraine envoy: Biden's biggest mistake is not talking to Russia

Keith Kellogg, the president-elect's envoy to Ukraine, told Fox News that although Trump is trying to "save Ukraine," there must be talks with the Russian side.

"The biggest mistake that President Biden made is the fact that he never engaged in any conversations with Putin," he said.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️ One person killed, 18 militants eliminated in Boko Haram's attack on presidential palace — reports

Chadian govt spokesman via live broadcast: 50 Boko Haram members, in sportswear, attacked the presidential palace. Forces secured the area, neutralizing attackers. Streets to the palace were closed.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt