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Israel begins building massive security barrier along entire eastern border

Israel’s Defense Ministry begins construction of massive security barrier that will span nearly all of Israel’s 300-mile eastern border with Jordan.

By World Israel News Staff

Israel has begun work building a massive security barrier on the border with Jordan, with plans to erect a fence spanning nearly all of Israel’s roughly 500-kilometer (300-mile) eastern frontier.

On Monday, the Defense Ministry announced that work has begun on the first two segments of the security barrier, spanning approximately 80 kilometers in total.

In the initial stage, construction will focus on the southern Galilee and Jordan Valley areas.

The entire eastern frontier barrier is expected to cost roughly 5.5 billion shekels ($1.72 billion) to build over the next three years, with preliminary projections estimating its completion around the end of 2028.

The security barrier will run from the southern Golan Heights to the Sands of Samar in the southern part of the Arava, just north of Eilat.

The Defense Ministry said the new barrier will be built around a border fence incorporating high-tech monitoring equipment including radar, cameras, and other systems.

“The security barrier whose construction we began today will extend for roughly 500 kilometers across Israel’s entire eastern border,” said Maj. Gen. Eran Ophir, head of the Defense Ministry’s Borders and Seam Administration.

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“It will be a smart border, incorporating both a physical fence and advanced intelligence-gathering systems, radars, cameras, and communication technologies capable of providing an evolving response to all current and future security needs. Construction has begun on two segments, and in the coming months we intend to add additional teams on more segments in order to accelerate the pace of work.”

Defense Minister Israel Katz greenlighted the construction amid growing concerns over weapons smuggling into Israel across the Jordanian frontier, including efforts by Iran to transfer weapons to terrorist groups operating in Judea and Samaria.

“Immediately upon taking office, I defined construction of the barrier along the eastern border as one of Israel’s key security missions,” Katz said Monday.

“The new barrier will strengthen the communities along the border, significantly reduce weapons smuggling into the hands of terrorists in Judea and Samaria, and deliver a major blow to the efforts of Iran and its proxies to establish an eastern front against the State of Israel.”

“I have instructed that new Nahal outposts be established along the barrier route to solidify our presence on the ground and strengthen settlement as a strategic component of our national security. This is a significant step in the initiative we are leading to thwart terrorism and protect the State of Israel.”