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Defensible Borders after October 7: Why Israel Needs Buffer and Security Zones in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria
(Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs) Dr. Dan Diker - The Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas invasion, massacre, and kidnapping illustrated the vulnerability of Israel's narrow borders and lack of strategic depth to prevent cross-border attacks and the commensurate increase in the importance of safe, secure, and defensible borders. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that one of the central lessons of Oct. 7 was the need for "buffer zones inside enemy territory - not inside our territory." In the wake of Hamas's surprise invasion, Israel has established minimal security protection zones in southern Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza, ranging from three to 20 km. - to provide strategic depth sufficient to prevent another cross-border invasion and massacre by hostile forces. President Trump and other U.S. officials have called for Israel to withdraw from these areas in line with negotiated agreements. Yet, the historical record suggests a crucial need for territorial buffer zones enabling Israel, one of the smallest countries in the Middle East, to protect itself. Under its updated defensible borders doctrine, Israel conditions any withdrawal in southern Lebanon on the disarming of Hizbullah and the demilitarization of the territory. The same principle holds on the Gaza front. The original Trump 20-point plan, vetted and agreed upon by Israel and the U.S., requires Hamas to be fully disarmed and Gaza demilitarized before any further steps toward an Israeli pullback are even discussed. The writer is President of the Jerusalem Center.