(Israel Hayom) Brig.-Gen. (res.) Amir Avivi - Unequivocally, Israel can apply sovereignty in the Jordan Valley and in its communities in Judea and Samaria, and attempts to stoke fears in this regard are unbecoming and misleading. The Palestinian Authority will continue to exist, similar to the Hamas regime in Gaza. The Americans don't view this as a problem and don't believe that a demilitarized PA is a problem in terms of international law. The diplomatic world is flexible enough to accommodate a wide range of solutions. Just to illustrate - the Vatican is a state for all intents and purposes, it issues passports and operates diplomatic embassies, and is even a member of the UN. The world of defense and security, on the other hand, is rigid. Israel's security cannot be played with. In order to exist and prosper, Israel needs the Jordan Valley and parts of Judea and Samaria, not including areas under PA control. Questions regarding the stability of the PA and Jordan are completely irrelevant to the issue of applying sovereignty. The PA can collapse the moment Mahmoud Abbas resigns, and Jordan is a country whose future is shrouded in fog. In the Jordanian context, the long-term solution is to install security mechanisms similar to Israel's other borders where it only relies on itself for protection. As for the possibility of the PA's collapse, Israel will have to consider transferring control to the powerful clans inside the Palestinian cities. The writer has more than 30 years of military and national defense experience, concluding his service as Head of the Auditing and Consulting Department of the Israeli Defense Establishment (including the Israel Defense Forces, the Ministry of Defense and Israeli Military Industries).
2020-05-08 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive