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Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=8721
Lessons of the Iraqi Chaos
(Israel Hayom) Uzi Dayan - The chaos unfolding in Iraq, highlighting the regional uncertainty in today's Middle East, calls for exercising two rules: first, be prepared to counter the enemy's capabilities, not his intentions; and second, vigilantly protect your strategic assets, especially your defensible borders. Defensible borders must afford Israel basic strategic depth and protection against the threat of conventional warfare, as well as the ability to fight terror. In the southern sector, largely thanks to the demilitarization of Sinai, and in the northern sector, thanks to Israel's adamant refusal to cede the Golan Heights, Israel has defensible borders. The eastern sector, however, only has one border that meets Israel's security needs - the one along the Jordan Rift Valley. The distance between the Jordan Rift Valley and the Mediterranean Sea is 64 km. (40 miles), making for only minimal strategic depth. The valley between the Jordan River and the hills overlooking it from the west constitutes an irreplaceable defense theater against a potential eastern front. Only the valley can serve as a protective buffer against a potential terrorist entity in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank). Maj. Gen. (res.) Uzi Dayan is a former IDF deputy chief of staff and former head of the National Security Council.