As the IDF battles to clear southern Lebanon of Hezbollah terrorists, it is worth highlighting an intriguing historical fact, one that many seem to have forgotten.Having grown up with an international boundary between the Jewish state and our neighbors to the north, we take it for granted that this is how it has always been and should be.But the truth is that the current border between Israel and Lebanon is little more than a century old and is entirely artificial, a relic of a time when European colonialists whimsically drew lines on maps over a bottle of brandy in smoke-filled rooms.Historically speaking, southern Lebanon is in fact northern Israel, and the roots of the Jewish people in the area run deep. Whether or not this can or should be translated now into a political reality is a far more complex question, but there is simply no denying our connection to the land.
He is in no way advocating annexing southern Lebanon, just as no one is seriously contemplating annexing parts of Jordan that also lie within the boundaries of ancient Israel - nor is anyone talking about giving up the Negev which was not part of the old borders, as this nineteenth century map shows.
But Hezbollah mouthpiece Al Mayadeen is freaking out:
Michael Freund, an American-born Israeli political figure of German descent, believes that southern Lebanon is historically part of "Israel" and that the Jewish people have deep-rooted connections to the area.
A recent opinion piece in The Jerusalem Post, titled "Southern Lebanon is Actually Northern Israel," exemplifies yet another attempt to legitimize expansionist ambitions through what can only be described as Zionist propaganda.
The article undermines Lebanon's sovereignty while distorting Judaism by weaponizing it to rationalize territorial conquest.
The New Arab also slammed the piece, without contradicting it.
