Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government is preparing a plan to completely surround the country with security fences.
“At the end, in the State of Israel, as I see it, there will be a fence that spans it all,” Netanyahu said Feb. 9 while on a tour of the security fence being constructed on the country’s eastern border with Jordan. “Will we surround all of the State of Israel with fences and barriers? The answer is yes. In the area that we live in, we must defend ourselves against the wild beasts.”
The plan also will address the threat from underground tunnels that cross the border, Netanyahu said, according to the Times of Israel.
The multiyear plan, which will include closing the holes in the West Bank security barrier, “will cost many billions,” Netanyahu said.
In his speech, Netanyahu noted that securing the border with the West Bank is more challenging than the border with Jordan because “you have built-up areas, buildings along the separation line.” — jta