In his talks in the country, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will probably also address the issue of applying Israeli law to parts of Judea and Samaria as part of the implementation of President Trump's peace plan. It should be emphasized that applying the law to the Jordan Valley is not a right-wing whim, but rather the implementation of a strategic plan from the Labor Party's Midrash (Oak Program), which Yitzhak Rabin also believed in; The settlement in the valley was established by the labor movement. The majority of the public in the country (more than 70 percent) sees the valley as the only Israeli security border in the east. 

Controlling the few crossings from the west valley can prevent invasion of Israel. The valley is close to the heart of the state - the Jerusalem-Gedera-Haifa triangle, in which about 70 percent of Israelis live, and where 80 percent of their economic infrastructure is concentrated. The air distance between the river and Jerusalem is only 30 kilometers. The strategic advantage is complemented by the demographic aspect; The small number of Arabs living in the Jordan Valley does not constitute a demographic burden on the Jewish state. 

The claim that Israel does not need the Jordan Valley as a security border in the East since the peace treaty with Jordan ignores the great potential for political upheaval in the Middle East. The undermining of stability in the Hashemite kingdom and Saudi Arabia, and Syria's return to the radical camp following the civil war's recovery, could revive the eastern front. The U.S. withdrawal from the Middle East allows more freedom of action for Islamists against Western allies.

Those advocating the delivery of the valley to the Palestinians are underestimating its security importance and throwing their eyes on the technological capabilities, which are capable of detecting and neutralizing threats remotely, in a manner that seems to indicate the need for control of the valley. But this is a disregard for the history of military technology, which shows volatility between the superiority of defensive capabilities and offensive. If Israel wants to maintain a defensible border in the valley, it also has to take care of controlling the offshore road to the Jordan Valley, through unified Jerusalem and Ma'aleh Adumim. It is the only west-east axis that has a Jewish majority along it and is safe to transfer forces from the coastal plain to the valley during an emergency. Ma'aleh Adumim, established by the first Rabin government, is an important station on this route. That is why it is important to the company to Jerusalem by applying and building Israeli law in Area E-1 (five miles of desert). Jerusalem also has strategic value. 

Most Arab states would object, but they contained the transfer of the American embassy to Jerusalem. Likewise, the possibility of the US withdrawing from the Middle East leaves Israel as an almost single barrier to Iran's hegemonic aspirations. The Palestinian resistance is also expected. Against the ongoing negotiations leading to nowhere and ongoing violence, the almost overwhelming agreement in Israel that the Palestinians are not ripe for a historic compromise Perhaps the application of Israeli law in the Valley will make it clear that time is not right,

in any case, the application of Israeli law in the Valley by the National Unity Government will signal broad Israeli consensus and the Israeli determination to keep this land within the state. Back up this step, and Therefore, it is a mistake to call it one-sided. It is a good time to use. 

Prof. Ephraim Inbar is president of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)