Thursday, March 28, 2024 - 19:19 pm CET
Email Email | Print Print | rss RSS | comments icon Comment |   font decrease font increase

   


Email Email | Print Print

post divider

Mon, Nov 22, 2010 | By Crethi Plethi

Israeli border police watching the Egyptian border (AFP/Getty Images)

Israel Starts Building Barrier Along Egyptian Border

Israel started building a barrier along its border with Egypt to prevent illegal immigrants, smugglers and militants from crossing into the country.

The project was announced in January 2010 by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “I took the decision to close Israel’s southern border to infiltrators and terrorists. This is a strategic decision to secure Israel’s Jewish and democratic character,” Netanyahu said in a statement.

The barrier will not be erected along the whole 266 km (166 miles) border. Advanced surveillance equipment will help border control officers to spot infiltrators. The barrier will take two years to complete.

Netanyahu said Israel would continue to accept refugees from conflict zones but “we cannot let tens of thousands of illegal workers infiltrate into Israel through the southern border and inundate our country with illegal aliens.”

Thousands of African and other migrants have come to Israel through its porous border with Egypt over the last few years and the IDF (Israel’s army) estimates that around 5,000 infiltrators have entered Israel over the past year as well as 1.3 tonnes of hash and 130 kilograms of heroin. [CNN, Nov 22, 2010]

Egyptian police also have stepped up efforts to control the frontier with Israel following an increase in human trafficking through Egypt.

Israel’s former ambassador to Egypt, Eli Shaked, told CNN there is nothing political about the decision to build it. “It is a necessity. It had to be done a long time ago. It is not something directed at Egypt,” he said. [CNN, Nov 22, 2010]


Posted in: EgyptIsrael  Tagged with:  

3 Comments to “Israel Starts Building Barrier Along Egyptian Border”

  1. #Israel Starts Building Barrier Along Egyptian Border | #Egypt http://j.mp/aZICxR

  2. avatar Elisabeth says:

    RT @CrethiPlethi: #Israel Starts Building Barrier Along Egyptian Border | #Egypt http://j.mp/aZICxR

  3. […] first decision, one that is important for the future of the State of Israel, is to put up a fence along the border in the South — an obstacle that I think will very soon become a physical fence along our border with […]


avatar

Quotes and Sayings

About the Region, Islam and cultural totalitarianism...

    Law stands mute in the midst of arms.

    — Cicero, Pro Milone, Chapter IV, section 11

Weather Forecast

Middle East region weather forecast...

CRETHIPLETHI.COM - ONLINE MAGAZINE COVERING the MIDDLE EAST, ISRAEL, the ARAB WORLD, SOUTHWEST ASIA and the ISLAMIC MAGHREB - since 2009