Netanyahu: If we give up Jordan Valley, there will be a war

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel cannot relinquish control of the Jordan Valley, part of the West Bank, as doing so would compromise Israel’s security and “ensure” a war.

“We always remember that we must be ready to protect ourselves with our own strength against every threat, that is the basic principle which assures our future,” he says at a ceremony marking the conclusion of the 178th pilots course of the Israeli Air Force.

“We do not have much space separating the country’s borders from populated areas. Hence, we conclude that the area to the west of the Jordan will always be in our hands. If we give up the Jordan Valley, we will ensure that there will be a war.”

Netanyahu has long argued that the Jordan Valley must remain Israel’s security border, even if a Palestinian state is established in much of the West Bank. Palestinian reject the idea as a de facto continuation of Israeli control over their future state.