Former IDF Deputy Chief of Staff and former head of Israel’s National Security Council, Maj. Gen. (res.) Uzi Dayan, says he is involved in efforts to purchase Jordanian-owned land in the Jordan Valley as part of an initiative to strengthen Israel’s presence along its eastern border.
Speaking in an interview with Arutz Sheva - Israel National News during a Machon Lev conference, Dayan said that establishing outposts and communities in strategic areas has become an important tool for maintaining control over territory.
“Homesteads are a good and effective way to hold onto land. Settlement has moved from being a plowed field to a means of maintaining control over territory," Dayan said. “Most outposts today are not private property of the people living there. In addition, in smaller locations, security needs to be ensured."
Dayan stressed that the Jordan Valley should be a priority. "There are too few people there, and there is no hotel or visitor center there, despite it being one of the most interesting places in the world. I am personally involved in this. We are also carrying out very practical actions, including purchasing land from Jordanian princes on our side of the Jordan Valley. In one such location, we plan to establish a haredi Hesder yeshiva," he added.
Addressing current security challenges, particularly in Lebanon, Dayan said Israel should expect continued tensions on multiple fronts. “In Lebanon, we are expected to have a hot summer in all the areas where we are holding ground, and a cold summer, even a very cold one, in Washington. Our existential strength and the fact that we are defending our homeland; the fact that our soldiers are on the ground; and the fact that we are not part of the understandings document between Iran and the United States."
Turning to Iran, Dayan said Israel had succeeded in weakening the Iranian regime but had not replaced it. “Iran is in a very bad military situation. The Americans are saving them because they do not want to start a ‘good war’ for a bad deal. Ultimately, on issues that are critical to us, we will fight Iran even without the Americans," he added.
Dayan acknowledged that such a scenario would not be preferable from a defensive standpoint but said Israel has strong offensive capabilities. “If we need to deal with the ballistic missile or nuclear project, we will take care of our security. We will have to fight as long as necessary. I told my children: keep fighting, but you will do it under much better conditions than those we had on Yom Kippur."
Dayan said that Israel’s situation should also be viewed from a broader historical perspective. “What happened to us in politics is very bad," Dayan said. “In the past, political disagreements existed, but people sought votes by saying: ‘An enemy is at the gates - we need to unite.’ Today, everything becomes an enemy from within."