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Source: http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Planting-trees-in-the-bastion-of-democracy-482223
Israel's Need for Defensible Borders
(Jerusalem Post) Sir Eric Pickles - I first came to Israel in 1980 and fell in love with the place and its people. Israel is a bastion of democracy in a region plagued by chaos and autocracy. It celebrates and protects the same values that we in Britain cherish. In sheer defiance of its tough neighborhood and limited natural resources, Israel has fast become one of the world's most advanced countries. The importance of Israel's need for defensible borders was brought home to us when we visited the Gaza border and were reminded of the threats that Israel faces on a daily basis. An elderly resident of the Netiv Ha'asara moshav recalled how a Hamas tunnel came out of the ground just yards from a kindergarten, with the potential of carrying out mass Israeli casualties. The writer is parliamentary chairman of Conservative Friends of Israel and the prime minister's UK envoy on post-Holocaust issues.