Israel’s defense minister pushes for construction of fence on border with Jordan

By Khaled Yousef

ISTANBUL (AA) - Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced Monday that he will intensively promote the construction of a fence on the Israel-Jordan border, local media reported.

Katz made the statement during a visit to the Central Command headquarters in Jerusalem, said Channel 7.

The call for a border wall with Jordan has gained momentum following a Sept. 8 attack at the Allenby Bridge Crossing that resulted in the deaths of three Israelis and the assailant, a Jordanian citizen, as well as an Oct. 18 incident in the south Dead Sea area close to the border with Jordan which left two Israeli soldiers wounded and the attackers, two Jordanian nationals, dead.

Following the Dead Sea incident, Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said that “with the infiltration of illegals, smuggling of weapons and hostile operations, I will work within the government to expedite the construction of a fence along the Jordanian border similar to the one on the Egyptian border. It is not an option; it is a necessity.”

In early September, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his intention to build a border fence with Jordan similar to the one on the Egyptian border.

Channel 7 quoted Katz as saying that the government will work intensively to build a separation fence along Israel's eastern border with Jordan. He noted that construction would begin “very quickly” and is part of a broader plan to strengthen Israel's border defenses.

Katz claimed that “Iran seeks to support hostile activities against Israel in the West Bank,” urging the Israeli military to “intensify its attacks in this region.”

The Jordanian border with Israel and the West Bank stretches for 335 kilometers (208 miles), including 97 kilometers (60 miles) with the West Bank and 238 kilometers (147.8 miles) with Israel.

The two countries are connected by three border crossings: Sheikh Hussein, Allenby Bridge and Wadi Araba, which typically operate regularly but have experienced limited closures due to Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza.

Israel has launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas in October last year, killing more than 44,230 people, most of them women and children, and injuring over 104,600.

The second year of genocide in Gaza has drawn growing international condemnation, with figures and institutions labeling the attacks and blocking of aid deliveries as a deliberate attempt to destroy a population.

On Thursday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its brutal war on Gaza.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio