New Security barrier approved by Israel. In time, I am sure Obama will object.

It is about darn time and long overdue. How far can Israel trust Egypt?
Israel needs to place a huge mine field at the base of the new wall
and whatever else is required to secure the security of the Jewish State.
Patrols including pigs and dogs would be helpful as Muslims are so fond
of both animals.


New Israeli Border Fence

DebkaFile


Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu approved Sunday, Jan. 10, the construction of a security barrier along the Israeli-Egyptian border. The $1.5 billion structure will be fitted with radar and sensor instruments for spotting approaching trespassers, terrorists from the Gaza Strip and Sinai, criminal elements and job-seekers while they are still on the Egyptian side of the barrier.

DEBKAfile's Middle East and military sources report that Washington and Cairo prevailed on Israel to build this fence to complement the iron wall and water barrier Egypt is constructing along the Philadelphi route dividing the Gaza Strip from Sinai.

This double-barrier is designed to obstruct access to the Gaza Strip from the east as well as the west and restrict the movements of Hamas and al Qaeda's Sinai-Gaza cells so that they can no longer hope to open up a North Sinai war front against Israel and the West.

Two sections of the Israeli barrier will be built first opposite Eilat, Israel's southern port, and the Gaza Strip. Work will soon start on the 35-km northern segment that will extend from the Kerem Shalom goods crossing from Israel into the Gaza Strip, at the eastern extremity of the Philadelph route, up to the Israel-Egyptian crossing at Nitzana. The double Israel-Egyptian barrier will run a 50-km long security wall from the Mediterranean in the north up to northern Sinai.

The US state department and Pentagon are working on a framework for coordinating the interchange between Israel and Egypt of the data collected by the sensors, cameras, and other tracking devices installed on the two walls. One suggestion is to use the Multilateral Force Organization, which consists mainly of US and Canadian officers. Israeli and Egyptian liaison officers already meet regularly to synchronize their security operations.

The thinking in Washington, according to DEBKAfile's sources, is that the link-up between the Egyptian and Israeli barriers will strengthen the blockade against the Gaza Strip, sever the corridor Hamas operatives have opened up to the West Bank through Sinai and the Israeli Negev, force its extremist Hamas rulers to come to terms with Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah and break off its ties with Iran.

Hamas leaders are still uncertain how to handle the new measures; they are waiting for instructions from Tehran and Damascus. Most of all, the Palestinian group needs to know whether Iran and Syria will back it up if it goes to war on the fences.

While waiting, Hamas is giving fellow Palestinian terrorists free rein to shoot missiles and mortar shells into Israel while itself making trouble on the Gaza-Egyptian border town of Rafah and the northern Sinai port of El Arish over incoming aid convoys.

When Netanyahu unveiled the border fence plan at the weekly cabinet session Sunday, he first provided the context, namely, more than 20 missiles and mortar rounds had been fired at Israel in the past week. The double embargo belt around the Gaza Strip is expected to further raise military tensions in this sector.