Israel decides to construct separation wall along border with Egypt

Israeli press sources reported yesterday that the government have decided to build a security fence along the border between Egypt and Israel, on the pretext of preventing thousands of African migrants from crossing into its territory.

Ma’arif newspaper reported in its Tuesday, December 12th issue that there are several options currently under consideration concerning the type of wall, as the Israeli Defence Force proposes to build a wall similar to the one in the West Bank – but this is a costly option.  The ministries of finance and public security recommend other options that can be erected at a smaller cost, especially since such a structure would allow the installation of other monitoring devices along the border.

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The debate concerning the construction of the wall had ceased for several years, particularly under the Ehud Olmert administration. It was blocked because of the high cost of the project, which was estimated by Israeli sources to be at least $500 million; construction work was expected to take two years.