Defense Ministry advances plans to build fence along entire border with Jordan

The Defense Ministry says it has begun “detailed engineering planning” to establish a fence along the entire border with Jordan to prevent infiltrations into the country — an expensive undertaking that has made little progress in the past.

The work comes following the directive of new Defense Minister Israel Katz.

The ministry says the planning works, which will cost tens of millions of shekels, will include laying an initial section of the fence with surveillance equipment, mapping out potential environmental hazards, and soil surveys.

The works are expected to last several months, “and they are intended to advance the readiness of the defense establishment for the establishment of a barrier on the border with Jordan, in accordance with the decisions of the political echelon on the issue,” the ministry adds.

There is an aging fence along the 309-kilometer (192-mile) border that Jordan shares with Israel and the West Bank, though military and police officials say it is sufficient to prevent most gun-smuggling attempts.

The idea of boosting the fence or building some sort of border wall has been floated repeatedly by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others for more than a decade, although many see any such major effort as unlikely to succeed due to the sheer length of the border and the enormous cost.