Amid war with Iran, what was once considered a far-fetched initiative has turned into a systematic campaign supported by lawmakers and the right-wing press: expansion of Israel’s northern border as far as the Litani River
In June 2024, at the height of the war in the Gaza Strip, hundreds of right-wing activists gathered on Zoom to discuss a new border for Israel. The First Lebanon Conference, as it was called, barely aroused public interest or serious media coverage. The event featured a speech by Dr. Hagai Ben-Artzi, the prime minister’s brother-in-law, who told the participants that the Lebanon border is “completely artificial,” asserting that, “the Galilee extends as far as the Litani [River in Lebanon].”
[…]
Many members of Knesset, for now, seem unfazed by the criticism being levelled at Israel. During the first week of the war with Iran, MK Amit Halevi (Likud) even called for a revision of the country’s goals – to include the conquest of southern Lebanon up to the Litani. “We need a methodical, operational plan whose aim is conquest of the territory, by means of all the branches of the army. Only full control of the area will bring about desired change – not raids after which the forces withdraw and the area remains exposed to the return of the terrorists,” he said.
Although Halevi is a member of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, his remarks were not widely reported. Among the few exceptions were a favorable report on ultranationalist Channel 14 and a reference to them on the right-wing site 0404.
The Bibi-ist network Melukadim News quoted data from a survey, from an unclear source, which was ostensibly conducted among Likud party members. It found that “a sweeping 89 percent support the creation of a buffer zone in southern Lebanon as far as the Litani.” Likud MK Ariel Kallner has also voiced his support: As early as 2024, he said that “I do not see the border as sacrosanct,” and suggested that Jews should settle in southern Lebanon.
