Israel will build 19-mile fence with Jordan

TEL AVIV, Israel, June 30 (UPI) -- Israel's security cabinet approved Monday the decision to build a 19-mile, 16-foot-high fence along its border with Jordan.

The fence, which will cost just under a billion dollars, is part of a plan to surround the country with fencing, as the new fence would join Israel's fences on the Egyptian and Syrian borders.

Intended to prevent radical Islamic Jihad operatives from entering the country, the fence will also feature intelligence gathering systems and is to be built wholly within Israeli borders.

Announced during a meeting with the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, the plan for the fence had been previously discussed with Jordan and the country was notified of Israel's decision ahead of time. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that the fence will not infringe on Jordan's sovereignty.

The plans come as construction of a new international airport at the Israeli city of Tinma (19 miles north of current aiport city, Eilat) will conclude in 2016. Israeli defense officials believe that this calls for increased security around the area, as the airport will be located less than a quarter of a mile away from the Israel-Jordan border.