Work on Jordan Security Fence Begins

Israel has begun construction of a security fence along the Jordanian border, the only one of its internationally recognized frontiers still lacking a physical barrier.

Some 18 miles of fence are planned, from the southernmost resort town of Eilat and running beyond a new international airport currently under construction in the Timna Valley.

The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2016, at a cost of approximately NIS 300 million ($77 million).

When the proposal was approved last June, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu endorsed it as a “national security” interest, comparable to barriers that are already up along Israel’s borders with Egypt and Syria.

“It is part of our national security. It joins the fence that we built along the length of our border with Sinai, which blocked the entry of illegal migrants into Israel and – of course – the various terrorist movements. This move also joins the fence that we have built along our border on the Golan Heights,” he said.