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Israelis, Palestinians Each Stake Claim to Jordan Valley

[Washington Post] Howard Schneider - As the U.S. tries to restart peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, the Jordan Valley, which makes up about 25% of the West Bank, is emerging as a key point of contention: Palestinians envision it as a core part of a future Palestinian state, and Israeli officials forcefully assert a longstanding claim that control over the area is vital to their security. Israeli officials and others close to Prime Minister Netanyahu have been saying that the Jordan Valley should remain in Israeli hands, controlling the international border with Jordan to make sure militant groups don't infiltrate. After the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, the Labor Party government viewed the Jordan Valley as a security buffer against an Arab invasion and began authorizing the first settlements to create what was intended as a permanent Israeli presence. Netanyahu has said that the "green line" that separated Israel from Arab troops before the 1967 war would not be an acceptable border. The green line is "indefensible, something that is unacceptable to me," Netanyahu said in September. "Israel needs defensible borders and also the ongoing ability to defend itself."
2009-11-02 06:00:00
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