Strategic Assessment

On July 26, 1967, Defense Minister Yigal Alon presented a plan to then-Prime Minister Levi Eshkol for a settlement with the Palestinians, which came to be known as the Alon Plan. Since its inception, the importance of the Jordan Valley to Israeli security has been deeply imprinted on the collective consciousness of the Israeli polity. Today, as Israel discusses a permanent settlement with the Palestinians, the effects of this logic remains discernible within the popular discourse: it is generally believed that the Jordan Valley remains crucial to Israeli security, and that a permanent settlement must include both Israeli control over the Jordan Valley and the positioning of substantial security forces there. Indeed, there are those who go even further, maintaining Israel must annex the area outright.