Myth: Israel Is an Expansionist Power Bent on Stealing Arab Land

Truth: Israel Has Consistently Offered Land for Peace — and Often Given It

Far from seeking conquest, Israel is one of the only nations in modern history to voluntarily give back land it won in defensive wars—even to hostile neighbors, and even when peace wasn’t guaranteed.

Quick Facts:

1967: Israel wins war started by Arab states → Offers to return land → Arabs say “No Peace, No Recognition, No Negotiations”
1979: Israel returns 100% of Sinai (3× Israel’s size) for peace with Egypt
2005: Israel fully withdraws from Gaza → Hamas takes over, launches rockets
2000 & 2008: Israel offers nearly all of West Bank, Gaza & East Jerusalem → Palestinian leaders walk away

Defensive Wars, Not Imperial Ambitions

1967 War: Leading up to the war, Israel explicitly warned Jordan and Egypt not to engage. Egypt had already blockaded the Straits of Tiran—an act of war—and moved troops into Sinai. Jordan joined in, and Israel struck preemptively. After winning, Israel offered to return captured territories in exchange for peace.
1973 War: On Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel. Despite the trauma and high casualties, Israel still made peace when Egypt eventually came to the table.

Israel didn’t start these wars—but it won them. And then it offered peace.

Land for Peace in Action

Sinai Peninsula: In 1979, under the Camp David Accords, Israel returned 100% of the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt. That’s over 23,000 square miles—more than three times the size of all of Israel. In the process, Israel dismantled every Israeli settlement, removed military bases, and gave up oil fields.

“We will give up land. We will give up strategic depth. All we ask is peace.”

— Menachem Begin, Israeli Prime Minister

Gaza Strip: In 2005, Israel fully withdrew from Gaza unilaterally. Every Jewish civilian and soldier was forcibly evacuated. Gaza became the first territory ever handed over completely to the Palestinians. What followed wasn’t peace—it was the rise of Hamas, a terrorist group that immediately began launching rockets at Israeli towns.

Gaza today is judenrein—completely devoid of Jews.

Arab Refusals

Khartoum Resolution (1967): In response to Israel’s peace overtures, the Arab League issued the “Three No’s”:
- No peace with Israel
- No recognition of Israel
- No negotiations with Israel
2000 Camp David Summit: Israeli PM Ehud Barak, with U.S. President Bill Clinton, offered Yasser Arafat over 90% of the West Bank, 100% of Gaza, and a capital in East Jerusalem. Arafat rejected it, made no counteroffer, and launched the Second Intifada, killing over 1,000 Israelis.
2008 Olmert Plan: Israeli PM Ehud Olmert made another far-reaching offer to Mahmoud Abbas, including a near-total withdrawal from the West Bank. Abbas never responded.

Who’s Really Expanding?

Let’s flip the question.

Israel is one tiny nation, about the size of New Jersey.
The surrounding Arab and Muslim world controls 22 states and over 5 million square miles of territory.

Historically, it was Arab-Muslim empires that colonized the Middle East, North Africa, and beyond. Israel is the remnant of an ancient indigenous people returning home, not an invader carving out land in a foreign region.

Conclusion: The Record Speaks for Itself

The claim that Israel is trying to expand and steal Arab land falls apart under even basic scrutiny.

Israel has repeatedly offered and returned land.
It has made painful sacrifices in pursuit of peace.
It has waited, time and again, for a willing partner across the table.

If Israel were truly an expansionist power, it would not have given up the Sinai, Gaza, or offered nearly all of the West Bank. The record is clear: land for peace was always on the table—from day one.

Sources & References

UN Security Council Report, 1967
Israel’s Secret Cabinet Decision (June 19, 1967) — cited in Michael Oren, Six Days of War
BBC Overview: Yom Kippur War
Office of the Historian: Camp David Accords
CNN Coverage: Gaza Disengagement (2005)
BBC Report: Hamas Takes Over Gaza (2007)
Khartoum Resolution – Arab League, September 1, 1967 (Yale Avalon Project)
Wikipedia: Clinton’s Account of the 2000 Camp David Summit
Newsweek Interview with Ehud Olmert (2009)
CIA World Factbook (for land area comparison)