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The Gaza Gamble: Israel's Long-Range Goal Is Borders It Can Defend

(Townhall.com) Clifford D. May - While Sharon has surprised his critics, it is not conceivable that he would leave Israel more vulnerable than he found it when he took office. He will be adamant that Israel get what it has been promised: "secure and recognized borders." Who made that promise? The international community did, in UN Security Council Resolution 242 of Nov. 22, 1967 - the only agreed basis for negotiations between Israel and all its Arab neighbors. Resolution 242 also calls on Israel to relinquish land occupied in the 1967 war - but not to withdraw from all territories since, by definition, that would leave Israel without secure borders. Every American president since Lyndon Johnson has confirmed this understanding of 242. If giving up all of the West Bank would mean unacceptable insecurity, how much territory must Israel retain to be reasonably safe from future aggression? That question is being asked and answered by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, a think tank headed by Dore Gold, an author, former Israeli ambassador to the UN, and advisor to senior Israeli officeholders. Gold's approach is to focus on the "minimal territorial requirements" that will enable Israel to defend itself "based on a purely professional military perspective." While recognizing that Israelis have national, historical, cultural, and religious interests in the West Bank, Gold argues that security must be Israel's "first priority in deciding how this disputed territory is to be divided." And the goal must be to ensure Israel's survival over the long term. The new West Bank security barrier has prevented many suicide bombers from reaching their targets. But Gold and the military strategists working with him are convinced that a fence alone cannot counter all the threats Israel needs to guard against.
2005-07-22 00:00:00
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