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When Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich calls for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza, for Syria to be “dismantled” and for the destruction of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, he is not merely expressing the personal views of a radical nationalist. He is articulating, with shocking candor, the endgame of a broader ideological framework that has defined Israeli policy since the inception of the state: an expansionist Zionism rooted in ethnonationalism, regional supremacy and the strategic use of force to achieve both.

Smotrich’s rhetoric is not an anomaly, it is the natural consequence of a state project built on the displacement of indigenous populations, the militarization of borders and the systematic denial of Palestinian nationhood.

What he is saying out loud, without the diplomatic varnish applied by previous Israeli leaders, is what many within the Israeli establishment have believed and practiced for decades, albeit more subtly.

From the Nakba of 1948 to the present-day war on Gaza and settlement expansions in the West Bank, Israel’s actions have followed a consistent logic: secure land, displace resistance, fragment Arab neighbors and ensure unchallenged regional hegemony.

What Smotrich has done is remove the veil. His statements, delivered without diplomatic restraint, are not just morally abhorrent, they are politically calculated to rally the Israeli far right and normalize extremism within statecraft.

What he is saying out loud is what many within the Israeli establishment have believed and practiced for decades

Hani Hazaimeh

This shift should alarm the world. Smotrich’s vision aligns with a doctrine that seeks to reduce Israel’s Arab neighbors to weak, divided entities that are ungovernable and dependent. His call to dismantle Syria is a textbook example of this. Syria, already devastated by war and geopolitical chess games, is seen not as a potential partner for peace or regional stability but as a convenient target in Israel’s strategy to eliminate any nodes of Iranian influence.

Yet even this rationale is hollow. Syria is today no longer the linchpin of the so-called Axis of Resistance. Its military capacity is crippled, its society fragmented. But Smotrich’s obsession with dismantling it signals a more ideological goal: not security, but domination.

To understand the depth of Smotrich’s vision, we must revisit the ideological pillars of Zionism itself, particularly the version espoused by Religious Zionism, of which Smotrich is a leading figure. This ideology fuses Jewish nationalism with divine entitlement to the land from the Nile to the Euphrates, a messianic belief that sees Israel not as one state among equals but as a chosen entity whose borders, power and destiny are divinely ordained.

Within this framework, Palestinians are not a people with legitimate rights and aspirations, they are an obstacle. Arab nations are not neighbors to be engaged, they are threats to be neutralized. And diplomacy is not a path to peace, it is a temporary tactic until a “Greater Israel” is realized.

Smotrich’s statements reflect this ideology in its most distilled form. The language of “Gaza will be entirely destroyed, civilians will … start to leave in great numbers to third countries” echoes the logic of the Nakba: remove the population, erase their history and claim the land.

The same logic applies to his vision for Lebanon and Syria: weaken their governments, stir internal divisions and prevent any possibility of a united Arab front that could challenge Israeli expansionism.

This ideological rigidity is not only a threat to Palestinians, it is a destabilizing force for the entire Middle East.

Within this framework, Palestinians are not a people with legitimate rights and aspirations, they are an obstacle

Hani Hazaimeh

Smotrich’s worldview creates a security paradox: Israel, in its pursuit of absolute dominance, sows the very instability it claims to fear. By pushing for the collapse of neighboring states, it creates power vacuums that armed groups will inevitably fill. By humiliating and dehumanizing Palestinians, it breathes life into cycles of violence and radicalization.

And by continuing to ignore international law and the UN Charter — which forbids aggression, occupation and ethnic cleansing — Israel increasingly isolates itself diplomatically, inviting global condemnation and risking further delegitimization on the world stage.

Smotrich’s doctrine, if allowed to shape Israeli policy unchecked, would ultimately backfire on Israel itself. The illusion that military might can replace political solutions has led Israel into prolonged wars before. But this time the stakes are even higher. With regional powers such as Iran, Turkiye and Egypt recalibrating their roles, and with global powers locked in new rivalries, the Middle East is more volatile than ever. One miscalculation, especially from a nuclear-armed state such as Israel, could spark a multifront war with catastrophic consequences.

The world must no longer treat Israel as an exception to the rules of international conduct. The normalization of violent expansionist rhetoric within the Israeli government should trigger alarm bells in every foreign ministry, from Washington to Brussels to Beijing. The responsibility lies not only with Israel’s leaders but with the international community that funds, arms and diplomatically shields them.

The Global South, in particular Arab and Islamic nations, must move beyond mere condemnation and take decisive political action. This includes exploring legal avenues through the International Court of Justice, economic measures to curb Israeli aggression and strategic realignment away from nations that turn a blind eye to these violations.

The future of the region hangs in the balance. One path leads toward de-escalation, diplomacy and a just peace based on mutual recognition and coexistence. The other, the one championed by Smotrich and his ideological allies, leads to perpetual war, ethnic cleansing and the unraveling of the international order.

It is no longer enough to label Smotrich as an extremist outlier. He is a minister in a sitting government. His views reflect the growing mainstream in Israeli politics. The silence of moderates is complicity. The inaction of global powers is endorsement.

History has taught us that ideologies built on supremacy, displacement and militarism inevitably collapse, often at immense human cost. The question is whether the world is willing to act before that collapse consumes the lives of millions across the Middle East.

• Hani Hazaimeh is a senior editor based in Amman. X: @hanihazaimeh