During his tour of the Arava, Netanyahu warns of the potential threat of cross-border tunnels from the West Bank. He says that unlike the borders with Egypt and Jordan, where there are no structures on either side of the fence, in the West Bank “you have built-up areas, buildings along the separation line.”
“If you’re thinking of erecting a fence there you have to take into account that they could tunnel beneath it,” he says. “The people who said that there is no significance to territory in the modern age should go to Gaza.”
Nevertheless he adds, “We’re formulating a plan to seal off the openings in the security fence in the West Bank.”
A section of the Israel-Jordan security fence, constructed in January 2016 (Defense Ministry)
Netanyahu says this is part of a “multi-year plan to surround the entire State of Israel with security fences to protect ourselves in the current and projected Middle East.”
“At the end of the day, in the State of Israel as I see it, there will be a fence like this one” — he refers to the border fence with Jordan that has been under construction in recent months — “surrounding its entirety… We’ll surround the entire State of Israel with a fence, a barrier.”
Netanyahu adds, “In our neighborhood, we need to protect ourselves from the predatory animals.”
He says the project, which is also set to include a new fence along the border with the Gaza Strip, will cost “many billions” and take years to complete.
We can't do this work alone.
The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident – ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded – I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.
There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.
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From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
