Israel Moves Forward with Jordan Border Fence Project to Prevent Infiltrations

Israel’s Defense Ministry has announced that it has begun work to establish a comprehensive fence along its 309-kilometer border with Jordan, marking the latest push to address infiltration and smuggling concerns. This move comes after years of discussions but limited progress on the project. The new initiative, ordered by Defense Minister Israel Katz, aims to enhance Israel's defense infrastructure and mitigate security threats along its eastern frontier.

The border spans from Eilat in the south to the Golan Heights in the north, passing through sensitive areas like the West Bank. The project, which will involve detailed engineering planning, is expected to cost tens of millions of shekels and take several months. This planning phase includes soil surveys, environmental hazard mapping, and laying down the initial sections of the fence equipped with surveillance tools.

Currently, parts of the border are protected by aging chain link fences with sensors, while other areas only have barbed wire. The porous nature of the border has made it a hotspot for smuggling activities, including guns and drugs, with weapons often fueling violence in Israel's Arab communities and aiding Palestinian terrorists. Just last month, gunmen breached the Jordanian border near the Dead Sea, infiltrating Israeli territory before being killed by Israeli forces.

The idea of enhancing the fence or building a larger border wall has been discussed for over a decade, but it was considered unfeasible due to the immense cost and the long stretch of the border. This new effort, however, appears to be the closest the project has come to reality.

Last month, Katz, then serving as Israel's foreign minister, raised concerns over Iran's influence in the region and its attempts to establish an "eastern terror front" through Jordan, further stressing the need for a border defense upgrade.

A smaller section of the Jordanian border, near Eilat, was upgraded several years ago for NIS 300 million ($88 million), and a full-scale project could potentially cost billions. In comparison, Israel’s Gaza border fence, valued at $1.1 billion, was breached by Hamas terrorists during the deadly October 7, 2023, attack, highlighting vulnerabilities in even the most sophisticated defense systems.

In addition to the fence, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have announced the creation of a new division to bolster defense capabilities along the Jordan border. This division will fall under IDF Central Command and oversee the protection of the eastern frontier, which is currently defended by regional brigades from both Central and Southern Command.