Middle East expert David Bokai wonders if Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has not conceded the Jordan Valley to a future Palestinian Authority (PA) state. Interviewed Friday by Arutz Sheva's Hebrew service, Dr. Bokai based the question on the prime minister's remarks at a recent briefing of international journalists that Israel would deploy along the River Jordan to prevent weapons smuggling into the proposed state.
The political-science lecturer at the University of Haifa says that the implications are serious, noting that until now, all the politicians have said the region will remain in Israel's hands. He expressed hope that the prime minister was just being diplomatic to placate the United States. He noted that a PA state within the confines of the lands liberated by Israel in 1967 will not satisfy the Arabs, even if a passage is created to link Gaza with Judea and Samaria.