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Sharon's Legacy of Defensible Borders
(Jerusalem Post) Dan Diker - Will Sharon be remembered as a security hawk who morphed into a political dove? Did Sharon's insistence on establishing the security fence in the West Bank near the pre-1967 lines reflect his intention to establish Israel's eastern border? Col. (res.) Danny Tirza, former IDF chief of regional strategic planning and the architect of the security fence, told Army Radio on January 12 that Sharon never intended the fence to be a political border. Rather, Sharon considered the security barrier a last line of defense against terrorist infiltrators. Tirza added that Sharon's security considerations in determining Israel's eastern border included his commitment to defensible borders and retaining the Jordan Rift Valley, including the West Bank hill ridge. Dr. Raanan Gissin, Sharon's former media adviser and longtime friend, told this writer on January 12 that many observers and analysts confuse what he called Sharon's tactical moves, such as the Gaza withdrawal, with his strategic commitment to Israel's security. Gissin said, "Sharon knew that Israel would need to keep the Jordan Valley and the West Bank hill ridge, because that was a strategic necessity to defend the country."