Judea

1
IMPORTANCE OF JUDEA SAMARIA MOUNTAIN RIDGES IN
THE ERA OF MODERN WEAPONRY
JudeaSamaria (JS) mountain ridges - 3,000ft
above the Jordan Valley and 2,000ft above the
8-15 mile coastal plain - constitute THE "GOLAN
HEIGHTS" OF JERUSALEM , TEL AVIV AND HAIFA.
2
Table of Contents
3
HAS SADDAM's DEMISE ELIMINATED "EASTERN FRONT
THREAT" TO ISRAEL?
JudeaSamaria (JS) mountain ridges - 3,000ft
above the Jordan Valley and 2,000ft above the
8-15 mile coastal plain - constitute THE "GOLAN
HEIGHTS" OF JERUSALEM , TEL AVIV AND HAIFA.
4
HAS SADDAM's DEMISE ELIMINATED "EASTERN FRONT
THREAT" TO ISRAEL?
NEXT

• In 1967, Israel obliterated Egypt, Syria and
  Jordan, producing a "No Threat" delusion. The
  delusion was crashed in 1973, when Israel barely
  escaped annihilation.
• In 1979, Iran was abruptly transformed from an
  ally (of US and Israel) to an enemy.
• The 1989, demise of the USSR gave rise to the
  illusion of global peace, but the world has
  become more violent.
• In 1948, King Abdullah (Jordan) promised Israel
  to stay away from war, but reneged. In 1966 King
  Hussein met with Israel's leaders, but bombed
  Jerusalem in 1967, and provided the PLO with
  terrorist infrastructure in 1968-70. In 1990
  Jordan was a key supply channel to Saddam.

5
HAS SADDAM's DEMISE ELIMINATED "EASTERN FRONT
THREAT" TO ISRAEL?
NEXT

• The 1993 Oslo vision of peace produced a
  nightmare of unprecedented terror
• War on terrorism is Bush's top priority will his
  successor follow suit? A possible US retreat
  from Iraq would exacerbate terrorism.
• Saddam's regime was perceived doom in 1991,
  became a non-conventional threat in 2002 and was
  eliminated in 2003. When will a brutal regime
  resurface in Baghdad?
• How would the Mideast be impacted by a demise of
  the current Hashemite, Saudi or Egyptian regimes?

6
HAS SADDAM's DEMISE ELIMINATED "EASTERN FRONT
THREAT" TO ISRAEL?
NEXT

• Mideast precedents - in the most unpredictable,
  volatile and violent region in the world -
  behoove Israel to be prepared for realistic
  scenarios, including "The Eastern Front Threat."

7
CENTRALITY OF GROUND BARRIERS IN DEFEATING ENEMIES
JudeaSamaria (JS) mountain ridges - 3,000ft
above the Jordan Valley and 2,000ft above the
8-15 mile coastal plain - constitute THE "GOLAN
HEIGHTS" OF JERUSALEM , TEL AVIV AND HAIFA.
8
CENTRALITY OF GROUND BARRIERS IN DEFEATING ENEMIES
NEXT

• Thousands of tons of daily bombing did not end
  the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. 70 of the
  bombing was inaccurate.
• Saddam was brought to submission when the ground
  forces reached Baghdad
• Ballistic missiles cause damage, but they don't
  conclude wars. An Arab tank battalion in Tel Aviv
  would be more significant than a shower of
  missiles on Tel Aviv.
• Without ground forces, the 1991 and 2003 wars
  would've been prolonged, causing more casualties
  and tension with allies, allowing Saddam to
  declare victory
• The centrality of ground forces suggests the
  centrality of ground barriers (geographic depth
  and topographic edge).

9
CENTRALITY OF GROUND BARRIERS IN DEFEATING ENEMIES
NEXT

• "Enduring Relevance of Landpower", US Army's
  Institute of Land Warfare, Oct. 2003 "Land force
  (is) the cornerstone of deterrence...Ground units
  can both destroy and occupy...sustain land
  dominance and achieve a lasting decision...Remote
  precision strikes will not provide this
  capability, as was demonstrated (in Afghanistan
  and Iraq)...Determined adversaries are seldom
  defeated quickly. Achieving a lasting decision
  requires the ability to conduct sustained,
  multidimensional joint operations. Land forces
  provide these qualities...During the Afghan
  campaign of 2002, precision air strikes were
  critical, but they neither annihilated opposition
  nor finished the enemy...In the 1999 Kosovo
  operation, the air war created the conditions for
  negotiations, but it was the ground forces that
  created the stability that now exists. In 1995,
  in Bosnia, the threat of airpower did not
  significantly deter Serbia. It took the ground
  forces to create the conditions for the Dayton
  Accords. In 1991, months of strike operations
  did not achieve decision. The four-day ground
  war led to Iraqi surrender...(In 1989 in Panama),
  the surrender of Noriega was the result of
  soldiers on the ground..." 

10
CENTRALITY OF GROUND BARRIERS IN DEFEATING ENEMIES
NEXT

• The US - the 1 ballistic power - stations
  200,000 GIs (125 increase since 2001) in
  overseas military land installations in 120
  countries.
• All wars are conventional, requiring ground
  forces (India-Pakistan, US-Afghanistan, US-Iraq,
  US-Panama, Britain-Argentina, Ethiopia-Eritrea,
  Iran-Iraq, Morocco-Mauritania, etc.).

11
U.S. GENERALS ON JS MOUNTAIN RIDGES
JudeaSamaria (JS) mountain ridges - 3,000ft
above the Jordan Valley and 2,000ft above the
8-15 mile coastal plain - constitute THE "GOLAN
HEIGHTS" OF JERUSALEM , TEL AVIV AND HAIFA.
12
U.S GENERALS ON JS MOUNTAIN RIDGES
NEXT

• The late Admiral Bud Nance The eastern mountain
  ridge of the West Bank is one of the world's best
  tank barriers. Invading tanks will have to climb
  a 3,000ft steep slope from the Jordan Valley. The
  western mountain ridge, which is a 2,000ft gentle
  slope, constitutes a dream platform of invasion
  to Israel's narrow (8-15 miles) coastal plain.
  Control of the West Bank provides Israel the time
  to mobilize its reservists, which are essential
  to its survival during a surprise attack.
• General (ret.) Al Gray, former Commandant, US
  Marine Corps Missiles fly over any terrain
  feature, but they don't negate the strategic
  significance of territorial depth. The key
  threat to Israel will remain the invasion and
  occupation by armored forces. Military success
  requires more than a few hundred missiles. To
  defeat Israel would require the Arabs to deploy
  armor, infantry and artillery into Israel and
  destroy the IDF on the ground. That was true in
  1948, 1967 and 1973, and it remains true in the
  era of modern missiles.

13
U.S GENERALS ON JS MOUNTAIN RIDGES
NEXT

• Lt. General (ret.) Tom Kelly, Chief of Operations
  in the 1991 Gulf War "I cannot defend this land
  (Israel) without that terrain (West Bank)...The
  West Bank mountains, and especially their 5
  approaches, are the critical terrain. If an enemy
  secures those passes, Jerusalem and Israel become
  uncovered. Without the West Bank, Israel is only
  8 miles wide at its narrowest point. That makes
  it indefensible."
• 100 retired Generals and Admirals signed an Oct.
  1988 advertisement in the Washington Times
  Israel should not withdraw from JS, lest it fail
  to provide security to its People. It is
  impossible to demilitarize JS effectively
• The late Admiral Bud Nance "No logical reason
  for Israel to give up one inch of the disputed
  areas. Quite to the contrary, I believe if
  Israel were to move out of the Golan Heights, the
  West Bank and the Gaza Strip, it would increase
  instability and the possibility of war, increase
  the necessity for Israel to preempt in war and
  the possibility that nuclear weapons would be
  used to prevent an Israeli loss, and increase the
  possibility that the US would have to become
  involved in a war."

14
U.S GENERALS ON JS MOUNTAIN RIDGES

• Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Earl
  Wheeler The minimum required for Israel's
  defense includes most of the West Bank and the
  whole of Gaza and the Golan Heights (a secret
  document submitted to the Secretary of Defense on
  June 29, 1967). Wheeler realized that in the
  Mideast peace is based on deterrence

15
LAND - DEPLOYMENT OF RESERVISTS - SURPRISE ATTACK
JudeaSamaria (JS) mountain ridges - 3,000ft
above the Jordan Valley and 2,000ft above the
8-15 mile coastal plain - constitute THE "GOLAN
HEIGHTS" OF JERUSALEM , TEL AVIV AND HAIFA.
16
LAND - DEPLOYMENT OF RESERVISTS - SURPRISE ATTACK
NEXT

• The transition from peace to war, in the Mideast,
  is as abrupt and unpredictable as Mideast
  inter-Muslim politics.
• A surprise attack provides Arab regular forces
  (tanks and infantry) a 71 advantage adjacent to
  the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv-Haifa area. 50 hours are
  required to mobilize Israel's reservists (75 of
  IDF), in order to close the gap and block the
  Arab invasion.
• The more advanced the Arab weaponry, the faster
  and more destructive is the surprise offensive,
  the longer it takes to mobilize Israel's
  reservists, the more essential are JS mountain
  ridges for halting the invasion. Control of the
  mountain ridges enables a small Israeli force to
  block the invasion until the arrival of
  reservists
• The slimmer is Israel's geographic depth, the
  less time is available to mobilize reservists,
  and the more critical is the control of the
  mountain ridges. The demilitarization of JS
  would provide Israel with merely 5-10 hours early
  warning time (50 hours are required to mobilize
  the reservists), before the invasion could reach
  Israel's "Soft Belly."

17
LAND - DEPLOYMENT OF RESERVISTS - SURPRISE ATTACK
NEXT

• Most of Israel's reservist infrastructure is
  located in the "narrow waistline" of
  Jerusalem-Tel Aviv-Haifa area (70 population,
  80 industry and finance, key fuel depots and
  intersections), which is dominated by the JS
  mountain ridges. The control of JS determines
  the time available for the deployment of
  reservists and for blocking a surprise invasion.
• Primitive Scud missiles created havoc in the
  Jerusalem-Tel Aviv-Haifa area during the 1991
  Gulf War. The more advanced are the missiles, the
  more vulnerable are population centers and air
  force bases (which are crucial to stop invading
  tanks). In 1967, Jordan shelled Israel's leading
  air force base by JS-based artillery.
• Security arrangements, as a substitute for ground
  barriers, require geographic depth, which
  provides early warning time, should a peace
  accord collapse (as happens often in the
  Mideast). Israel does not possess geographic
  depth. Ground barriers was tactically pertinent
  in 1948. In 2003 - due to modern weaponry -
  ground barriers are strategically critical.

18
IS TECHNOLOGY A SUBSTITUTE FOR GROUND BARRIERS?
JudeaSamaria (JS) mountain ridges - 3,000ft
above the Jordan Valley and 2,000ft above the
8-15 mile coastal plain - constitute THE "GOLAN
HEIGHTS" OF JERUSALEM , TEL AVIV AND HAIFA.
19
IS TECHNOLOGY A SUBSTITUTE FOR GROUND BARRIERS?
NEXT

• High Tech of today always becomes Low Tech of
  tomorrow. But, High Ground of today remains High
  Ground tomorrow. One can always develop a
  superior response to any advanced weapon system.
  However, one cannot develop superior ground
  barriers to JS mountain ridges.
• One can, eventually, jam any existing technology.
  However, one cannot jam the topographic edge of
  JudeaSamaria mountains
• A country does not alter its boundaries in
  accordance with the development of weapon system
  and technologies .
• The best surveillance systems, stationed in the
  Persian Gulf by the US, failed to detect Iraq's
  invasions of Iran (1980) and Kuwait (1990). They
  caused over 1 million fatalities and a
  mega-billion dollar damage.
• In 1973, Israel's technology detected Egypt's and
  Syria's plans of invasion, but the human factor
  failed to comprehend the data, as happens often
  in other countries. Ground barriers, rather than
  technology, stopped the invasion and prevented
  annihilation

20
IS TECHNOLOGY A SUBSTITUTE FOR GROUND BARRIERS?
NEXT

• Technology is fallible, while ground barriers
  enables one to overcome technological,
  intelligence and operational failures. In 1973,
  Sinai, Golan and JS were the cushion, which
  spared Israel oblivion.
• US superior technology could not destroy Iraq's
  missile launchers in 1991.
• In 1999, "Newsweek" reported that China might
  have developed a technology, capable of
  neutralizing the US Air Force and paralyzing
  Taiwan's air defense.
• Advanced technology is not an effective
  substitute to ground barriers. It could be a
  temporary and uncertain improvement, deepening
  dependence on outside powers. Its supply can be
  suspended, curtailed or cancelled.
• The US does not consider technology as a
  substitute for ground barriers, and therefore it
  operates military land installations in 120
  countries.

21
JUDEASAMARIA vs. SINAI
JudeaSamaria (JS) mountain ridges - 3,000ft
above the Jordan Valley and 2,000ft above the
8-15 mile coastal plain - constitute THE "GOLAN
HEIGHTS" OF JERUSALEM , TEL AVIV AND HAIFA.
22
JUDEASAMARIA vs. SINAI
NEXT

• The Sinai giveaway has constrained Israel's
  strategic maneuverability and Israel's potential
  of concessions in other fronts, including JS.
• Sinai borders the Negev, while JS borders
  Israel's "Soft Belly" (Jerusalem-Tel Aviv-Haifa
  area), which contains 70 of the population, 80
  of the industry and finance, key fuel depots and
  intersections.
• Sinai does not possess a topographic edge over
  the Negev, while JS does possess a significant
  edge over Israel's coastal plain.
• The Negev (2/3 of pre-1967 Israel) is sparsely
  populated, constantly accommodating most of
  Israel's reserve maneuvers, and therefore can
  absorb a surprise offensive by Egypt. The densely
  populated sliver coastal plain may not be able to
  absorb a surprise offensive by a resurrected
  Eastern Front.

23
JUDEASAMARIA vs. SINAI
NEXT

• A demilitarized Sinai (22,000 sqm) accords 40
  hours early warning time for the deployment of
  Israel's reservists. A demilitarized JS
  (2,200sqm) would accord 5-10 hours, while the IDF
  requires 50 hours for full deployment
• Retaking Sinai would be less difficult due to the
  Negev's similar topography. Retaking JS would
  be more difficult due to JS' topographic edge
• The Sinai giveaway was a calculated risk. A JS
  giveaway might be a lethal gamble .
• A JS giveaway would doom Jerusalem, transforming
  the Jewish capital into an enclave, connected to
  the coastal plain by a narrow 5 mile corridor,
  overtowered by JS mountain ridges.

24
SECURITYWISE IRREPLACEABILITY OF JS MOUNTAIN
RIDGES
JudeaSamaria (JS) mountain ridges - 3,000ft
above the Jordan Valley and 2,000ft above the
8-15 mile coastal plain - constitute THE "GOLAN
HEIGHTS" OF JERUSALEM , TEL AVIV AND HAIFA.
25
SECURITYWISE IRREPLACEABILITY OF JS MOUNTAIN
RIDGES
NEXT

• The eastern mountain ridge of JS - rather than
  the Jordan Valley - constitutes one of the
  world's best tank barriers (a 3,000ft steep slope
  over the Jordan Valley). The five roads
  traversing it are easily controllable by a
  relatively small regular force.
• The western mountain ridge of JS (a 2,000ft
  moderate slope) constitutes a dream platform for
  invaders into the sliver coastal plain, for the
  firing of shoulder launched missiles at civilian
  aircraft, and for daily terrorism, which would
  transform the terror reality of the Gaza
  bordering towns to the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv-Haifa
  area.
• The JS mountain ridges constitute a platform for
  air defense, jamming and surveillance systems,
  which extend all the way to the Persian Gulf, and
  is essential for the "Arrow" anti-missile system.
  A Jordanian bomber could reach Israel in 4
  minutes from the Jordan Valley, which is the
  minimum time required to deploy Israel's
  interceptors.

26
SECURITYWISE IRREPLACEABILITY OF JS MOUNTAIN
RIDGES
NEXT

• JS mountain ridges prevent Israel's coverage by
  Arab surveillance systems, thus enhancing
  Israel's defensive and offensive capabilities.
• A JS giveaway would exacerbate terrorism,
  dwarfing the 1994-2003 losses.
• Until 1967, Israel forced Jordan to limit its
  military force in JS to 5,000 soldiers, in order
  to preclude a lethal threat. In 2003, there are
  40,000 armed Palestinian terrorists in JS, which
  are equal to 4 infantry divisions .

27
SECURITYWISE IRREPLACEABILITY OF JS MOUNTAIN
RIDGES
NEXT

• A JS giveaway would induce Arab belligerence.
  JS mountain ridges constitute the "Golan
  Heights" of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa. They
  enhance Israel's strategic profile and power of
  deterrence. They transform Israel from a
  strategic liability to a strategic asset. Without
  JS, Israel wouldn't have been able to force a
  Syrian withdrawal from Jordan in 1970 and might
  not have been able to carryout the bombing of
  Iraq's nuclear reactor in 198.
• The signing of the Oslo Accord radicalized
  Israeli Arabs. The current stage of Palestinian
  terrorism (since 2000) has exacerbated
  Arab-Jewish relations. A JS giveaway would
  further deteriorate co-existence.

28
UNIQUENESS OF ISRAEL'S SECURITY PREDICAMENT
JudeaSamaria (JS) mountain ridges - 3,000ft
above the Jordan Valley and 2,000ft above the
8-15 mile coastal plain - constitute THE "GOLAN
HEIGHTS" OF JERUSALEM , TEL AVIV AND HAIFA.
29
UNIQUENESS OF ISRAEL'S SECURITY PREDICAMENT

• The world expects Israel to yield land, which it
  does scarcely possess. Israel's area is 0.196
  of the area of the Arab countries, which is 150
  larger than the US and 130 larger than Europe.
  The West expects the Arabs to accord Israel
  peace, which they have yet to accord to one
  another (Arieh Stav, Executive Director of the
  Ariel Center for Policy Research).

NEXT
30
UNIQUENESS OF ISRAEL'S SECURITY PREDICAMENT
NEXT

• The geographic depth of JS, Golan Heights and
  Sinai enabled Israel to fend off the 1973
  surprise offensive. The absence of geographic
  depth would require more preventive wars.
• Israel has a zero margin of error during wartime,
  due to the violent and unpredictable nature of
  the Mideast, due to the lack of geographic depth,
  due to a critical topographic and geographic edge
  enjoyed by its enemies, and due to a sustained
  arms race conducted by them.
• Topographic and geographic inferiority mandates
  Israel to transfer war, promptly, to enemy's
  territory.

31
UNIQUENESS OF ISRAEL'S SECURITY PREDICAMENT
NEXT

• Unlike other countries - and due to the ideology
  and track record of its enemies - Israel has to
  win each war. The Jewish nation was defeated
  2,000 years ago, and the Jewish People was
  dispersed. In view of the ideology amplified
  daily by official Arab education, media and
  clergy, there would be no Diaspora, should Israel
  be currently defeated...
• Israel's pre-1967 borders were the longest in the
  world per sqm (and therefore less defensible).
  They were 360 kilometers (225 miles) longer than
  the current borders, characterized by more
  complex geography, which requires more personnel
  and hardware

32
ISRAEL'S UNIQUE VULNERABILITY
JudeaSamaria (JS) mountain ridges - 3,000ft
above the Jordan Valley and 2,000ft above the
8-15 mile coastal plain - constitute THE "GOLAN
HEIGHTS" OF JERUSALEM , TEL AVIV AND HAIFA.
33
ISRAEL'S UNIQUE VULNERABILITY
NEXT

• The width of Israel's coastal plain (8-15 miles)
  is equal to the distance between JFK and La
  Guardia airports in New York.

34
ISRAEL'S UNIQUE VULNERABILITY
NEXT

• The width of Israel's coastal plain (8-15 miles)
  is less than the length of DFW airport in Texas,
  equal to the width of Washington DC, San
  Francisco and Miami and equal to the distance
  between Wall Street and Columbia University in
  New York .

35
ISRAEL'S UNIQUE VULNERABILITY

• The width of Israel's coastal plain (8-15) is
  less than the distance between downtown London
  and Heathrow Airport and equal to a roundtrip
  distance between Albert Hall and the Tower of
  London, between Bois Du Boulogne and La Place De
  La Bastille in Paris and between the Kennedy
  Center and the RFK Stadium in Washington, DC.

36
ISRAEL'S UNIQUE VULNERABILITY
NEXT

• The late Admiral Bud Nance "The entire state of
  Israel - including the West Bank, the Gaza Strip
  and the Golan Heights - is smaller than the
  gunnery range at Nellis Air Force Base...Israel
  is only 9 miles across at is center close to Tel
  Aviv. This is scarcely more than the distance
  from the Pentagon to Mount Vernon. A modern tank
  can traverse this distance in about 15
  minutes...With the West Bank included, Israel is
  approximately 40 miles across at its mid-point.
  The city of Atlanta is more than 40 miles across.
  
• Israel's area - before 1967 - was just 6 times
  more than the largest ranch in Texas, King's
  Ranch.
• The US military declared a 25 kilometer radius
  area, in Bosnia, as a "killing zone", in order to
  ensure the safety of US soldiers.

37
PEACE BOUNDARIES IN THE MIDEAST
JudeaSamaria (JS) mountain ridges - 3,000ft
above the Jordan Valley and 2,000ft above the
8-15 mile coastal plain - constitute THE "GOLAN
HEIGHTS" OF JERUSALEM , TEL AVIV AND HAIFA.
38
PEACE BOUNDARIES IN THE MIDEAST
NEXT

• 1,300 years of inter-Muslim and inter-Arab
  conflicts have transformed the Mideast into the
  most violent region in the world No
  comprehensive inter-Arab peace, no inter-Arab
  ratification of all borders, no compliance with
  all inter-Arab agreements/treaties, no Arab
  democratic regimes and no Arab regime which stays
  in power without the use of violence. Is it
  logical to assume that the Arabs are ready to
  accord to the Jewish ("infidel") State that which
  they have yet to accord to one another?!
• Peace in the Mideast is Peace of Deterrence
• The test of peace boundaries in the violent and
  unpredictable Mideast is not in their ability to
  entice a peace accord. Rather, it is in their
  ability to deter and/or withstand a typical
  Mideast scenario An unpredictable violation of a
  peace agreement, by a concerted inter-Arab
  offensive against sliver Israel, led by a tank
  and infantry invasion, and backed up by a barrage
  of missiles, a wave of Palestinian terrorism and
  a possible insurgency by Israel's Arabs.

39
PEACE BOUNDARIES IN THE MIDEAST
NEXT

• The durability of a peace accord in the Mideast
  is as durable as Mideast politics, which is the
  shiftiest and the most tenuous in the globe.
• Peace accord enhance security as long as the
  parties adhere to the agreement. Peace accord
  undermines security, once it is violated, as a
  result of the territorial concessions made.
• "Territories for Peace" is logically flawed
  While Israel should, supposedly, concede
  territories in return for peace, would a reduced
  peace - through Arab violations - entitle Israel
  to retrieve territories?

40
Hatikvah Educational Foundation www.acpr.org.il/ha
tikvah Tel. [phone]
Written and edited by Yoram Ettinger
JudeaSamaria (JS) mountain ridges - 3,000ft
above the Jordan Valley and 2,000ft above the
8-15 mile coastal plain - constitute THE "GOLAN
HEIGHTS" OF JERUSALEM , TEL AVIV AND HAIFA.