Editing Strategic depth (section)

==In Israel==
{{see also|Geography of Israel|Military doctrine#Israel}}
[[Israel]] is a narrow country, and its internationally recognized [[Borders of Israel|borders]] leave it just {{convert|85|mi|km}} across at its widest point and {{convert|9|mi|km}} at its narrowest (between [[Tulkarm]] and [[Tel Aviv]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://elearning.la.psu.edu/jst060/lesson_2/natural-geography|title=Natural Geography — Modern Israel|author=Alan F. Benjamin|publisher=Penn State University|access-date=27 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140204032136/http://elearning.la.psu.edu/jst060/lesson_2/natural-geography|archive-date=4 February 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> A number of Israeli leaders (originally [[Abba Eban]]) have referred to Israel's internationally recognized borders (those the country had from 1948 to 1967) as the "[[Auschwitz]] borders" because of the perceived danger of annihilation by regional foes.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Landau-1967-lines-are-Auschwitz-borders-314393|title=Landau: 1967 lines are 'Auschwitz borders'|author=Lahav Harkov|date=26 May 2013|work=[[The Jerusalem Post]]|access-date=27 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202095531/http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Landau-1967-lines-are-Auschwitz-borders-314393|archive-date=2 February 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.566644|title=Deputy foreign minister: 1967 borders are Auschwitz borders|author=Barak Ravid|date=2 January 2014|work=Haaretz|access-date=27 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140120155514/http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.566644|archive-date=20 January 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/19/israeli-settlers-reject-the-auschwitz-borders/|title=Israeli Settlers Reject the 'Auschwitz Borders' of 1967|author1=Robert Mackey |author2=Elizabeth A. Harris |date=19 May 2011|work=New York Times|access-date=27 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140105051442/http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/19/israeli-settlers-reject-the-auschwitz-borders/|archive-date=5 January 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> Since 1967, Israel has occupied the [[West Bank]], somewhat widening the area under the military's effective control.

To compensate for the lack of strategic depth, Israel puts a great importance on [[deterrence theory|deterrence]] (partially by threat of [[Nuclear weapons and Israel|nuclear weapons]]), superior [[firepower]], and the use of [[pre-emptive war]] to prevent threats from encroaching on Israeli territory.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/israel/doctrine/|title=Strategic Doctrine - Israel|date=25 May 2000|publisher=[[Federation of American Scientists]]|access-date=27 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140701145333/http://fas.org/nuke/guide/israel/doctrine/|archive-date=1 July 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Yitzhak Rabin]] said about the [[Six-Day War]] (considered a classic example of pre-emption):
<blockquote>The basic philosophy of Israel was not to initiate war, unless an active war was carried out against us. We then lived within the lines prior to the Six-Day War, lines that gave no depth to Israel—and therefore, Israel was in a need, whenever there would be a war, to go immediately on the [[offensive (military)|offensive]]—to carry the war to the enemy's land.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDWXI8-4fxk|title=Prime Minister Yitzak Rabin Interview with Bill Boggs|date=30 January 2012 |publisher=[[YouTube]]|access-date=29 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140621103015/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDWXI8-4fxk|archive-date=21 June 2014|url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote>

Israeli leaders consider the issue of strategic depth to be important in negotiating its final borders as part of the [[Israeli–Palestinian peace process]]. Issues of contention include the [[Israeli settlement|West Bank settlements]] and potential Israeli control of the [[Jordan Valley]] after the creation of a Palestinian state.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shaularieli.com/image/users/77951/ftp/my_files/articles_in_english/brochure_eng.pdf?id=9345485|title=Defensible Borders and Strategic Depth|last=Brig. Gen. (Res.) Shlomo Brom|date=September 2011|publisher=The Council for Peace and Security|access-date=27 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131208174207/http://www.shaularieli.com/image/users/77951/ftp/my_files/articles_in_english/brochure_eng.pdf?id=9345485|archive-date=8 December 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>