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the north, Israel's territory never stretched as far as Damascus,
although it frequently held the Golan Heights. Israel extended many
times to both sides of the Jordan but never deep into the Jordanian
Desert. It never extended southeast into the Arabian Peninsula.
Israel consists generally of three parts. First, it always has had the
northern hill region, stretching from the foothills of Mount Hermon
south to Jerusalem. Second, it always contains some of the coastal
plain from today's Tel Aviv north to Haifa. Third, it occupies area
between Jerusalem and the Jordan River — today's West Bank. At
times, it controls all or part of the Negev, including the coastal region
between the Sinai to the Tel Aviv area. It may be larger than this at
various times in history, and sometimes smaller, but it normally holds
all or part of these three regions.
Israel is well-buffered in three directions. The Sinai Desert protects it
against the Egyptians. In general, the Sinai has held little attraction
for the Egyptians. The difficulty of deploying forces in the eastern
Sinai poses severe logistical problems for them, particularly during a
prolonged presence. Unless Egypt can rapidly move through the Sinai
north into the coastal plain, where it can sustain its forces more
readily, deploying in the Sinai is difficult and unrewarding.
Therefore, so long as Israel is not so weak as to make an attack on the
coastal plain a viable option, or unless Egypt is motivated by an
outside imperial power, Israel does not face a threat from the
southwest.
Israel is similarly protected from the southeast. The deserts southeast
of Eilat-Aqaba are virtually impassable. No large force could
approach from that direction, although smaller raiding parties could.
The tribes of the Arabian Peninsula lack the reach or the size to pose
a threat to Israel, unless massed and aligned with other forces. Even
then, the approach from the southeast is not one that they are likely to
take. The Negev is secure from that direction.

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