Clip shows Palestinian newlyweds openly crossing via gap in West Bank security fence
Bride, groom and celebrants seen walking in broad daylight through wide opening in barrier en route to party in Israel, highlighting lack of border control
Stuart Winer is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel.
A video clip showing a Palestinian wedding party strolling through a gap in the West Bank security barrier to enter Israel has highlighted the porous nature of the fence, which is meant to prevent Palestinians from entering the country unchecked as an anti-terror measure.
The video has been circulating since last week on the Tiktok video-sharing app, the Ynet website reported on Sunday.
In the short clip, a bride and groom from Jenin were filmed openly crossing the border fence through one of its many gaps near the village of Jalamah in the northern West Bank. The couple — with the groom in his wedding attire and the bride in a white dress — were accompanied by several others and a cameraman as they calmly strolled in broad daylight through a large gap in the barbed wire fence and then passed through another large opening in a more sturdy fence.
Inside Israel, a car was waiting to take the couple to an unknown destination where they were shown, apparently later and inside the country, dancing with others to celebrate the wedding.
A text accompanying the shared video declared: “The smuggling of a bride from the area of Jenin into the occupied interior area via the Jalamah gap,” using a phrase used by many Palestinians to refer to Israeli territory.
“There is nothing that stands in the way of the Palestinian people’s will,” the text read.
חוגגים נישואים בהסתננות לישראל: חתן וכלה מג'נין תועדו חוצים דרך פרצה בגדר@elishabenkimon pic.twitter.com/6QUkN9Y3qN
— ynet עדכוני (@ynetalerts) December 5, 2021
It was not clear when the video had been filmed.
According to the report, the video was viewed more than 600,000 times in the first four days after it was posted, garnering tens of thousands of “likes” and shares.
The Israel Defense Force commented on the report, saying: “Vandalism of the fence and creating openings that allow uncontrolled entry into Israeli territory constitute a security risk and a serious violation of the law.”
The army claimed forces are deployed in the area “in accordance with situational assessments” and use a variety of means against anyone who is identified as vandalizing the security fence or engaged in terror activities.
Israeli residents living in communities near the security fence have long complained about gaps that enable Palestinians to cross illegally into Israel.
Many thousands make the journey every day, usually to go to work. However, a small minority engage in terror activities or carry out attacks.
