This is the headline that Israeli political leaders sought as
they began immediate work clearing the ground for the first
two-kilometer stretch of what is planned as an eventual 360
kilometer barrier to keep terrorists and car thieves out of
Israel.
The first stage of the security fence is close to Kfar Salem,
near the IDF checkpoint on the outskirts of Jenin.
Defense Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer said Monday that the
first stage of construction is a 100-kilometer barrier
between Kfar Salem and Kfar Kassem. According to Defense
Ministry estimates, the cost of one kilometer of fencing is
around $1 million.
Ben-Eliezer has ordered the project to be approached and
developed as a simple physical barrier intended to boost
security, and not as if it were a also a political border. In
line with this thinking, the IDF's Central Command is
responsible for deciding the exact location of the fence
based on construction and security needs.
The earth moving work that was to start on Tuesday is to be
carried out by Y. Ze'evei, a private company from Haifa. The
Defense Ministry will publish tenders for other parts of the
work in the coming weeks.
An army spokesman told the Knesset State Comptroller's
Committee that the fence will be completed in about a year,
and that two contractors have already been hired for the
start of the job. Another eight contractors will be hired
over the next two months, he said.
Of the total of some 360 kilometers, 52 will be in the
Jerusalem area.
The army spokesman said that the fence will have three types
of crossing points: Four will be "smart" crossings, like the
Karni Junction in Gaza; some will be used by army forces to
get into the territories relatively easily; and there will be
openings for farmers whose property remains on the other side
of the fence.
The Defense Ministry will use land expropriation orders when
necessary to take the land needed for the fence, but
landowners will be invited to discuss compensation for the
land. However the Ministry announced that it will not let the
project be held up by a recalcitrant owner.
The fence is planned to be located east of the Green Line,
and a number of isolated settlements will be inside of the
fence. Other settlements will not be included.
The idea has been discussed for many years, but it was always
influenced by the fact that such a barrier is likely to have
considerable influence in determining permanent political
boundaries.
Right wing politicians have opposed it, arguing that its
presence will create a reality that will too easily be
translated into a separate Palestinian state on the eastern
side, which they opposed. Left wing politicians, who
generally back the eventual formation of a Palestinian state,
were much more favorably disposed towards the idea.
In recent months, it has become more of a consensus among all
sectors as a necessary step in further reducing terrorist
incursions from the Palestinian side, especially in view of
the considerable success that the fence around the Gaza Strip
has enjoyed. After the completion of that barrier, incidents
dropped dramatically. On the Lebanese border there is also a
similar barrier.
