Israel approves plan to build fence along border with Jordan

Netanyahu announced plans years ago, but construction was postponed in favor of the Syria-Israel border fence.

Ha’aretz

Israel’s security cabinet approved on Monday a decision to build a fence along the Jordan-Israel border. The first 30-kilometer-long segment of the fence will be constructed between Eilat and the future site of the Timna international airport.

The Prime Minister’s Office noted that the cabinet also allocated the necessary funding for constructing the fence, which is estimated to be around 2 billion shekels. Last March, Haaretz reported that the construction would include intelligence gathering systems as well.

The Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement explaining that Israel has been in talks with Jordan about the fence, and informed the Jordanians of the decision ahead of time. “The construction of the fence in this area will take place on the Israeli side of the border, and it will not violate the sovereignty of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, its national interests, nor its honor,” read the statement.

The fence on the Jordan-Israel border will be similar to those built on the Egypt-Israel border, and the Syria-Israel border in the Golan Heights. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his plans years ago to build a fence on the border with Jordan, but construction was postponed due to the more pressing need for the fence in the Golan Heights, caused by the civil war in Syria.

Israeli defense officials believe that there is a possibility for Islamic Jihad operatives to infiltrate into Israel, and that building an international airport at Timna, which will eventually replace the Eilat airport, requires increased security in the area. The airport is expected to begin operating in the summer of 2016, and according to an IDF officer from the nearby 80th Division, the airport “will definitely affect security procedures on the eastern border.” The site of the airport is located only 200 meters from the border.