Israeli Foreign Minister Yoav Katz Photo: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Katz has received approval to build a new high-tech border fence with Jordan to block smuggling, particularly from Iran. The announcement came on Tuesday, noting that the fence will include advanced sensors and cost tens of millions of shekels. Construction will begin in a few months, although no exact completion date was given. This was reported by The Jerusalem Post.
For many years, the construction of this fence has faced resistance, in particular from Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has been blocking the project. However, Katz, with the support of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has now been able to gain the necessary approval to implement the plan. The former commander of the IDF Central Command, retired Major General Yehuda Fuchs, has repeatedly called for the fence, stressing the dangers of not having adequate border security.
This project, which was previously publicly supported by retired Defence Minister Yoav Galant, has become especially important after the Hamas invasion in 2023, which significantly increased the sensitivity of the Israeli public to border security issues. In addition, Katz and Smotrych are expected to reach political agreements on the construction of new settlements in the West Bank, despite resistance in the IDF and among Israel’s allies in the EU and the US.
It is currently unclear how the budget will be adjusted to finance this project.
