Urge Border Settlements Be Armed

Two military historians have urged that Israel’s border settlements be heavily armed in order to serve as a first line of defense in wartime while the military reserves are mobilized. According to Prof. Yehuda Wallach, of Tel Aviv University and MK Meir Payil of the Sheli faction, the concept of regional defense based on border settlements was neglected after the Six-Day War in favor of fixed army positions. They believe the concept should be reinstated now that Israel faces the possibility of withdrawal to shorter lines in the event of peace treaties with its neighbors.

Wallach and Payil explained their views at a symposium on national defense held at Haifa University. Wallach said that in order to mount an effective defense against attackers, the border settlements should be supplied with the most modem and effective weapons such as field artillery, anti-tank rockets and heavy mortars.

Payil, who is a colonel in the reserves, suggested that the border settlements be prepared for mobile warfare by equipping them with helicopters, tanks, armored vehicles, missiles and communications systems. He said the settlements should have good shelters, good fortifications and better utilization of manpower.

Meanwhile, Israel’s defense circles have shelved a plan for the reorganization of the nation’s armed forces proposed by Gen. Israel Tal, one of the country’s leading military planners. Tal had been assigned the task of surveying the present defense system on the basis of lessons learned in past wars. He concluded that the army should have a separate command for ground forces, thus allowing General Headquarters to serve as overall coordinator of all of the armed services.

At present, GHQ is responsible for the ground forces while the air force and navy are directed by separate commands. After nearly a year of discussion, the defense establishment decided against the reorganization plan despite major changes in deployment when Israel withdraws from Sinai and, possibly, other territories.