‘Significant failure’: State comptroller visits broken West Bank border fence

State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman visits a broken section of the West Bank barrier near the central town of Matan, after the deadly attack in Bnei Brak was committed by a Palestinian who exploited a compromised part of the fence.

Englman says reports saying the terrorist who killed five in Bnei Brak managed to pass through the fence with a vehicle is a “significant and substantial failure.”

“We see here openings through which thousands of Palestinians pass, with and without permits, without any oversight, including the possibility of vehicles entering,” he says.

“This is how a terrorist can get from Jenin to Bnei Brak in an hour, with great ease,” Englman says.

“We have been examining in recent months the whole issue of the separation fence. This is a significant and substantial failure. More than NIS 8 billion was invested in the project and just over NIS 5 billion in the fence itself. In addition, the State of Israel invests NIS 140 million a year in day-to-day maintenance and operations in the area,” he says.