Border between Israel and Egypt visible from space

The Egypt–Israel barrier or Egypt–Israel border fence () refers to a

separation barrier A separation barrier or separation wall is a Barricade, barrier, wall or fence, constructed to limit the movement of people across a certain line or border, or to ethnic segregation, separate peoples or cultures. A separation barrier that runs a ...

built by

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

along its border with

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. Initial construction on the barrier began on 22 November 2010,Butcher, Tim
Sharon presses for fence across Sinai
''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'', December 07, 2005. and its original purpose as a common fence was to curb the large influx of illegal migrants from African countries into Israel. However, in the wake of the

Egyptian Crisis ''Egyptian'' describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years ...

after the 2011 Revolution, Israel's southwestern border with Egypt experienced an increase in militant

jihadist Jihadism is a neologism for modern, armed militant Political aspects of Islam, Islamic movements that seek to Islamic state, establish states based on Islamic principles. In a narrower sense, it refers to the belief that armed confrontation ...

activity with the outbreak of the

Sinai insurgency The Sinai insurgency was an insurgency campaign in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt launched by Islamist militants against Egyptian security forces, which also included attacks on civilians. The insurgency began during the Egyptian Crisis, duri ...

. In response, Israel upgraded the steel barrier—called ''Project Hourglass'' by the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...

(IDF)—to include cameras, radars, and motion detectors. In January 2013, construction on the barrier's main section was completed;Israel completes most of Egypt border fence
Los Angeles Times. January 2, 2013 the final section was completed in December 2013.Israel Completes 245 Mile, NIS 1.6 Billion Security Fence Along Sinai Border with Egypt
Algemeiner, DECEMBER 4, 2013 2:58 PM A number of countries, including the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, have sent delegations to Israel to observe its border-controlling capabilities and the various technologies used by the IDF to secure Israel's boundaries against the

Arab states The Arab world ( '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, comprises a large group of countries, mainly located in West Asia and North Africa. While the majority of people in ...

. Some of these countries have expressed an interest in implementing Israeli strategies and technologies with their own border fences; the Trump administration cited Israel's border strategies as inspiration for the barrier built by the United States along its border with Mexico, while Indian officials have discussed the implementation of an "Israel-type model" for the barrier built by India along its border with Pakistan. The barrier, stretching from the Israeli city of

Eilat Eilat ( , ; ; ) is Israel's southernmost city, with a population of , a busy port of Eilat, port and popular resort at the northern tip of the Red Sea, on what is known in Israel as the Gulf of Eilat and in Jordan as the Gulf of Aqaba. The c ...

in the south to the Gaza–Israel border in the north, took three years to construct at an estimated cost of (), making it one of the largest projects in Israel's history.

Background

An old and rusty low-height fence swamped by shifting sand dunes, which mainly served as a border marker between

Sinai Peninsula The Sinai Peninsula, or simply Sinai ( ; ; ; ), is a peninsula in Egypt, and the only part of the country located in Asia. It is between the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the south, and is a land bridge between Asia and Afri ...

and

, had already existed in the

Negev Desert The Negev ( ; ) or Naqab (), is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its southern end is the Gulf of Aqaba and the resort town, resort city ...

prior to any barrier considerations. The smuggling of

cigarettes A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhaled via the oppo ...

as well as

drugs A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalation, injection, smoking, ingestio ...

Bedouins The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu ( ; , singular ) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq). The Bedouin originated in the Sy ...

whose tribal lands straddle the Egypt–Israel border had been a long-term but low-level problem. However, armed infiltrations by Arab militants into Israel along the porous border led to Israeli calls for the construction of a security fence by December 2005; the Israeli government decided to build the barrier in the late 2000s, in light of mass illegal African immigration.

Purpose

The

was originally planned in response to the high levels of illegal African migrants, mainly from

Eritrea Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa, with its capital and largest city being Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the Eritrea–Ethiopia border, south, Sudan in the west, and Dj ...

and

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

, who were being smuggled into

Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu ( ; , singular ) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq). The Bedouin originated in the Sy ...

traffickers. Tens of thousands of people attempted to cross from

into Israel every year, predominantly

economic migrant Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...

s. During

Hosni Mubarak Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak (; 4 May 1928 – 25 February 2020) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the fourth president of Egypt from 1981 to 2011 and the 41st Prime Minister of Egypt, prime minister from 1981 to ...

's regime, Egyptian border guards sometimes shot African migrants who were trying to enter Israel illegally. Israeli prime minister

Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin Netanyahu (born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who has served as the prime minister of Israel since 2022, having previously held the office from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021. Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime min ...

stated that the barrier is meant to "secure Israel's Jewish and democratic character."Israel to construct barrier along Egyptian border
BBC, January 11, 2010. The

2011 Egyptian revolution The 2011 Egyptian revolution, also known as the 25 January Revolution (;), began on 25 January 2011 and spread across Egypt. The date was set by various youth groups to coincide with the annual Egyptian "Police holiday" as a statement against ...

, the demise of Mubarak's regime, increased lawlessness and a rising Islamist insurgency in the Sinai, as well as the 2011 southern Israel cross-border attacks led to the project's upgrading with surveillance equipment and its timetable for completion being expedited.

Construction

The fence has two layers of fencing, one with barbed wire. The structure includes the installation of advanced surveillance equipment. Eventually the whole border will be sealed. The estimated cost of the project is NIS1.6 billion ($450 million). In March 2012, nearly 105 km (65 miles) of fence had been built by 30 contractors working concurrently and building several hundred meters (yards) of the fence every day. The goal was to finish the remaining 135 km (84 miles), including those running through the mountainous area of Sinai, in 2012. Construction of the main section 230 km (143 miles) was completed in January 2013. The project was completed in December 2013.

Effects on illegal entry

While 9,570 citizens of various African countries entered Israel illegally in the first half of 2012, only 34 did the same in the first six months of 2013, after construction of the main section of the barrier was completed. After the entire fence was completed, the number of migrant crossings had dropped to 16 in 2016.

Egyptian reaction

has stated that it does not object to the construction of any barrier as long as all fortifications are built on Israeli soil.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Egypt-Israel barrier Barrier Border barriers Egypt–Israel relations Borders of Egypt Borders of Israel Sinai Peninsula Illegal immigration to Israel International borders