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Monday, July 31, 2023
Gallant says Israel will build new security barrier along Jordan border
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says Israel will build a new security barrier along the border with Jordan, although it is unclear where funding for the enterprise would come from.
Army Radio cites Gallant as saying at a Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting that “terror organizations have identified [the West Bank] as a weak spot, and direct many resources there for the purpose of attacks. Looking ahead, we intend to erect a barrier on the border with Jordan as well.”
There is an aging fence along the 309-kilometer (192-mile) border Jordan shares with Israel and the West Bank, though military and police officials say it is sufficient enough to prevent most gun smuggling attempts.
A 30-kilometer (18-mile) portion of the border with Jordan, near the southernmost city of Eilat and the new Ramon International Airport, has been upgraded in a similar fashion to Israel’s border barriers with Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
Israel shelled out NIS 300 million ($88 million) for the small section of the border near Eilat, meaning that a project to cover the whole Jordanian border would likely cost billions of shekels.
The Times of Israel Community.