by Maj. Gen. (res.) Gershon Hacohen
Many of those who signed the commanders’ letter to the PM also signed the declaration of support by the Movement for Peace and Security for the 2005 unilateral disengagement. Needless to say, they were dead wrong.
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| Over the West Bank, image via Wikipedia |
BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 1,185, May 28, 2019
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The
former commanders who are demanding a referendum on the possible
annexation of parts of the West Bank’s Area C misunderstand the threats
confronting Israel. One need only consider the latest round of fighting
in Gaza to understand what the threat to the cities of the coastal plain
would look like if Israel were to give up control of the mountainous
terrain dominating the country’s economic-social-industrial heartland.
The Commanders for Israel’s Security movement has appealed to PM
Netanyahu with a much-publicized warning based on a new false
assertion: that annexation of parts of the West Bank would endanger the
residents of Israel.
Only a few weeks ago, in the midst of the election
campaign, this group inundated the country with billboards and posters
mounted on buses, at a cost of millions of shekels, telling voters that
the elections would spell the difference between separation and
annexation. No one had any doubt which side they were trying to help.
A considerable majority of the Israeli people chose to ignore the recommendations of the former bit’honistim
(security experts). Nor did the three former chiefs of staff at the
helm of the Blue and White Party, who enjoyed the open support of three
other retired chiefs of staff, manage to get public opinion on their
side and achieve the parliamentary majority needed to implement the
recommendations of the former senior defense officials who favor
additional withdrawals.
This controversy has two aspects. The first has to do with the overall vision of Israel and Israeli national security.
As defined by the IDF, “National security is the
domain concerned with ensuring the national capacity to contend
effectively with any threat to the national existence and to national
interests.” This is certainly accurate as far as it goes.
But Israel’s national interests in the West Bank
go way beyond security needs alone. The same is true for the
Palestinians, as explained by Mahmoud Abbas in his rejection of
President Trump’s plan: “The Palestinian problem cannot be turned into
nothing more than an economic-humanitarian problem.” Israel, for its
part, must not turn the Zionist dream into nothing more than a desire
for a safe haven for persecuted Jews. Security – as David Ben-Gurion
emphasized – is only a means, not the goal. There is a substantial
difference between a desire for security and a desire for independence,
and therein lies the heart of the controversy.
The second aspect concerns the security issue itself. Over the years, the strategic outlook of the former bit’honistim has been debunked time and again in the face of reality.
Many of those who signed the commanders’ letter to
the PM also signed the declaration of support by the Movement for Peace
and Security for the 2005 unilateral disengagement from Gaza, promising
that it would improve Israel’s security. Needless to say, they were
dead wrong.
In a recent BESA study,
I analyzed where the commanders go wrong – namely, in misunderstanding
the potential threat to Israel resulting from, on the one hand, dramatic
changes in the nature of war; and on the other, the vastly enhanced
power and operative capabilities of the Palestinian terror organizations
since the launch of the “Oslo peace process.” One need only consider
the latest round of fighting in Gaza to understand what the threat to
the cities of the coastal plain would look like if Israel were to give
up control of mountainous terrain dominating the country’s
economic-social-industrial heartland. Highway 6 would become the border
road, and antitank and antiaircraft missiles would threaten traffic on
the main transportation arteries as well as air traffic to Israel.
The outcome of the recent elections indicates that
a considerable majority of Israelis have learned that, for all their
great respect for people who have devoted days and nights to defending
the country, it is wise to beware their misconceived visions and
recommendations.
Published in Israel Hayom on May 22.
Source: https://besacenter.org/perspectives-papers/annexing-west-bank-area-c/
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