Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the construction of a security barrier along the entire border with Jordan to thwart terrorist infiltrations from the east, the Defense Ministry said on Tuesday, announcing that “detailed engineering planning” has gotten underway.
An initial section of the fence, complete with surveillance equipment, will be built as part of the planning phrase, the ministry announced.
The planning phase, which alone is expected to last several months, is “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 statement added.
The eastern frontier with Jordan extends almost 200 miles, making it the Jewish state’s longest border.
Jerusalem signed a peace treaty with Jordan in 1994, but the Hashemite Kingdom has a majority Palestinian populace and it has taken an increasingly hostile tone since the Hamas-led Oct. 7 massacre of some 1,200 people in southern Israel and the ensuing war in the Gaza Strip.
There is mounting concern in the Jewish state’s security establishment that pro-Iranian terrorists could attempt to penetrate the border to commit an attack similar to Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 massacre. The army is working to prevent such a scenario, including by reinforcing its troops.
According to official assessments, around 600 people enter Israel illegally from Jordan every month. By comparison, in all of 2023, security forces arrested fewer than 90 infiltrators from Jordan.
Over a year ago, the Israeli government announced its intention to build a security barrier along the eastern border to thwart Iranian efforts to smuggle weapons and know-how to terrorists in Judea and Samaria.
In September, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to work with Amman to strengthen the eastern frontier to maintain “peace and security” in the border area. Netanyahu spoke after a Jordanian terrorist murdered three border guards at the Allenby Bridge crossing.
“We will work to erect a stronger barrier here to stop smuggling attempts. We do it in coordination with our neighbors. We must ensure that this border remains a border of peace and security,” he stated.
