Terrorists infiltrated Israel through gaps in security fence – Why can’t it be fixed?

Huge gaps in security barrier allow Palestinians to cross illegally into Israel.

By World Israel News Staff

The terrorist who recently murdered patrolman and father-of-three Chen Amir in the heart of Tel Aviv illegally infiltrated into Israel via a hole in the security barrier near Jenin, Hebrew-language media reported.

But while that terrorist was shot and killed before a larger attack occurred, the ease with which he entered Israel raises serious questions around the notoriously porous fence dividing Israel from Palestinian Authority-controlled enclaves.

The security barrier, which runs through much of Judea and Samaria, was built during the Second Intifada with the aim of stopping Palestinian suicide bombers. While it was initially effective, decades of repair and neglect – along with large swathes of the fence which remain incomplete and unguarded – mean that it’s relatively easy for Palestinians without permits to cross into Israel.

Many Palestinians travel illegally to Israel in order to work, primarily at construction sites or in the restaurant industry, with bosses who pay them in cash under the table.

But others who cross do so in order to perpetrate terror attacks and murder Israeli civilians.

In the past two years, there have been numerous deadly attacks committed by Palestinians who illegally crossed into Israel, including both the 2022 and 2023 Dizengoff Street shootings, the Bnei Brak terror attack, the Elad ax murders, and a car-ramming attack in northern Tel Aviv just weeks ago.

However, the IDF and defense establishment have dragged their feet when it comes to ensuring that the security barrier is efficiently maintained and guarded.

Political considerations are thought to be one reason for the inaction. Because the barrier runs through Judea and Samaria, fortifying and guarding it properly could turn it into a de facto border between “Israel proper” and the territories.

Additionally, international watchdog groups and European activist organizations with pro-Palestinian sympathies have argued that some of the land for the barrier was expropriated from private Palestinian landowners – an issue that Israel isn’t eager to reopen.

The threat posed by the porous barrier has been repeatedly raised by right-wing and security-focused NGOs, yet besides repair standalone sections, the Israeli government has largely failed to take action to secure the fence.