fbpx

News

Israel to strengthen Jordanian border fence against infiltration

[ssba]

According to a leading newspaper, senior Israeli ministers have approved a Defence Ministry plan to reinforce the border fence with Jordan, south of the Syrian border, in order to protect against potential terror infiltration.

In 2013, Israel completed the construction of a 90km advanced fence along the border with Syria on the Golan Heights, given the activity of Islamist terror groups in Syria which have proliferated during the country’s civil war. However, Haaretz says that this fence will effectively be extended southwards along the northern edge of the Jordanian border. In particular, this plan has apparently been drawn up due to fears of booby-trapped cars crossing the border and cross-border shootings.

Last year, approval was given for Israel to construct an advanced fence along the southern tip of the Jordanian border. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured at the time that it would “not harm the sovereignty of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan”. However, underscoring Israeli security concerns, earlier this month a Jordanian citizen breached the border fence, threw rocks at a travelling Israeli car and attempted to steal the vehicle. He was shot by a security guard from a nearby kibbutz. The head of the Jordan Valley Regional Council, Idan Greenbaum, described the incident as a “severe” security breach.

Meanwhile, it was announced yesterday that Israeli authorities had seized 20 pistols, five M-16 assault rifles, and other weapons as part of an operation halting such smuggling from Jordan into Israeli territory. Two Palestinians waiting for the shipment in the West Bank were arrested.

Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty in 1994 and have since enjoyed a mostly warm relationship, with the common border almost entirely quiet. It is thought that the two countries cooperate closely on security matters.

In an unrelated security development, a 12-year-old Palestinian boy was killed yesterday in clashes with Israeli border police near Jerusalem. Palestinian reports claim he was shot, but Israeli forces say only tear gas and stun grenades were used during the confrontation.