'No fence will save us'
Photo: Dan Balilti
Delusions and permanent borders
Our leaders are making plans based on optimistic scenarios. The consequences will be heavy
The politicians currently running the Israeli government have asked us to approve a plan with one main point – setting permanent borders for the State of Israel within a relatively short period of time, with a stated goal of solving the demographic problem and separating from the Arabs.
Voters who support these politicians will bear a heavy responsibility for setting the fate of this country and its ability to exist for more than a few terms of office for zippy politicians.
Setting borders is a weighty issue that will affect the fate of generations to come. All plans start by identifying goals, according to which a program is set to give long-range direction to the plan, which provides a framework for setting policy for one term.
Does the platform of those who say they will set permanent borders within a short period of time ensure the existence, sovereignty and independence of the Jewish state?
National security
The first principle of planning relates to national security: We must consider the worst-case scenario. We must not base our plans on rose-colored visions of what might happen if everything goes well.
The conflict that has threatened Israel's existence since the beginning of Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel is a religious one. It is a clash that will not disappear in one generation.
Religious clashes have strong roots; thus, they do not disappear by diplomatic magic. Therefore, diplomatic plans must assume the conflict will continue.
Geo-political reality
A decisive planning consideration, one that stems from the geo-political structure in the western Land of Israel, requires that in order to ensure our ability to withstand outside pressure during times of peace and war, we must prevent ourselves from becoming a narrow, beachfront strip of land.
No fence will be able to save us in that eventuality.
The two populations of the western Land of Israel live on joint real estate, and no delusions of separation, no wall can overcome the geo-political reality that combines the actions of these two populations.
It is impossible to disengage from the Arabs. We live with 250 million Arab neighbors. Therefore, it will only be possible to create a national home by spreading the Jewish population throughout the Land of Israel.
Eastern 'spine'
We must plan and make large investments in creating cities and towns that will make it possible to move 25 percent of the country's Jewish population to the eastern part of the country – a 15-20 kilometer wide strip some stretching from the Golan Heights through the Jordan Valley, town to the Judean Hills and the Arava Desert.
There are few Arabs in this area, and the region already has a Jewish majority. Therefore, annexing this region will have no affect on the "demographic problem."
Anyone who speaks about the Jordan River as Israel's "security border" without developing this eastern spine is actually damaging Israel's national security. IDF patrols along the river do nothing to ensure Israel's existence during war time, and contribute nothing to Israel's stability during peace time.
The folks who left the central section of the eastern spine outside the planned route of the security fence have committed a grave sin, one that will cause tears and pain for generations to come.
Setting borders
The time-worn principle of Zionism – that the plow would set the borders of our national home – continues to be true. No advanced military technology can change that.
There will be no border, military or political, in places where there are no Jews. Even if we build a super-modern, advanced fortress.
Trial run
In the summer of 2005, the country used an anti-democratic, anti-humanistic, totally unplanned process to conduct a "trial run" of setting borders with no national consensus. That action lacked any comprehensive plan.
By destroying Jewish communities in one section of the country without building at the same time in other, strategically important areas prevented the creating of any future goals map, and led the enemy to conclude that all Jewish homes in Israel, including those in Tel Aviv and Haifa, are temporary. The continuation of this procedure is an irresponsible gamble with the very existence of our national home.
The cornerstone of democracy is that citizens put their faith in candidates, thus becoming partners who bear responsibility for the outcome.
Each and every person who votes for a party that supports the continuation of this process but refuses to commit to developing the eastern spine of the country under Israeli sovereignty while setting unilateral borders, will bear responsibility for consequences that will be burden generations to come.
Those who support candidates who want to set permanent borders but ignore our national goals and with no planning process, will bear unbearable responsibility. They will not be able to blame the politicians when the day of reckoning comes.
Prof. Elisha Hass is a member of Professors for a Strong Israel
