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Israelis Rally Against U.S. Plan for Securing Jordan Valley
(Defense News) Barbara Opall-Rome - After months of shuttle diplomacy by Secretary of State Kerry and thousands of hours of strategic dialogue led by retired U.S. Marine Corps Gen. John Allen, Israeli leaders are as resistant as ever to trading the Jordan Valley for technology, U.S. security assurances, and joint force patrols which they insist fall short of Israel's fundamental right to defensible borders. "There's no way to provide security by way of foreign forces or any combination of advanced technology. If there is a crisis, history has shown us that foreign forces are the first to vanish....Satellites, drones and all the other goodies cannot compensate for IDF control of the ground and airspace of this vital sector," said retired Maj. Gen. Uzi Dayan, a former national security adviser who commanded the theater that includes the Jordan Valley. Dayan said relinquishment of the Jordan Valley "is a sure recipe for another war." He added, "We don't know what will be in Iraq or Syria, and we worry very much about what might happen in Jordan. So we must maintain this minimal strategic depth to combat external threats and terror if we don't want this place to become another South Lebanon or Gaza."