Rabin's True Legacy Demands Security Buffers Post-October 7

Following the October 7th attacks, an Israeli news analysis argues for adopting the "true legacy" of former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, emphasizing security over the perceived naivete of the "new Middle East" concept.

The article revisits Rabin's final Knesset speech, delivered a month before his assassination, where he outlined his vision for a permanent status agreement. Rabin stated that a Palestinian state would not be established west of the Jordan River. Instead, he envisioned a Palestinian entity "less than a state" alongside Israel, encompassing most of the territory of the British Mandate.

Crucially, Rabin insisted that a unified Jerusalem, including Ma'ale Adumim and Givat Ze'ev, would remain under Israeli sovereignty as Israel's capital. He also stipulated that the Jordan Valley, in its broadest interpretation, would serve as Israel's security border. When asked to clarify "broadest interpretation," Rabin referred to the Allon Plan.

The Allon Plan, though never officially adopted, served as a foundational document for Israel's security consensus from 1967 until the 1990s. It posited that the pre-1967 borders were indefensible and stressed the need for security buffer zones to provide strategic depth. The analysis contends that Rabin and Yigal Allon erred by not viewing Palestinians as an existential threat, focusing instead on Arab states and terrorist organizations.

The events of October 7th, the hostage crisis, and Palestinian public opinion polls have exposed the flaws in this assessment, the author argues. The article calls for applying Rabin and Allon's pragmatic security logic to the Palestinian Authority, advocating for Israeli control of open areas in Zones A and B and the creation of security buffer zones between Israeli settlements and Palestinian populations, potentially through military control or alternative means like Nahal settlements and farms.

The author concludes that Rabin's legacy is not just about peace songs but primarily about ensuring Israel's security, urging readers to observe this by traveling along Route Allon.