Israel’s Security Cabinet has approved plans to build a security barrier from its southern border along the eastern section towards the north.
International media (such as The New York Times) have reported on the government’s decision as if the work were radically different from that seen along the southern U.S. border with Mexico — which it’s not.
The cabinet approved the project Sunday, to consist of a segment of fencing that stretches 30 kilometers (25 miles) from Eilat to just past the site designated for the new Timna airport currently under construction.
“The government of Israel is in contact with the government of Jordan and emphasizes that the construction of this section of security fence is being carried out on the Israeli side of the border,” noted the prime minister’s office. “The fence will not, in any way, infringe on the sovereignty of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and its national interests, which will be respected.”
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee at the start of its meeting Monday that the decision to extend the security fence was “important” as part of Israel’s national security.
“It joins with the fence already built along the length of the border with Sinai, which blocked the entry of illegal migrants into Israel and – of course – the various terrorist movements,” Netanyahu pointed out.
“This step also joins the fence that we built on our border on the Golan Heights,” he noted, adding that he was also pleased that the Security Cabinet had approved the sources of funding for the construction as well.
