Following Israel Hayom's revelation that the IDF is expected to begin construction of the separation fence on the northwestern side of Gush Etzion, Knesset members reacted Thursday and were outraged by the decision. This is a controversial move that has been prevented for about 20 years, partly because of the damage to nature in the area and the fact that in practice a fence will separate Gush Etzion from Jerusalem and the center of the country and turn it into the edge of Judea and not a suburb of Jerusalem.
"A move that will separate the bloc from Jerusalem." Gush Etzion (archive), photo: Dudi Vaknin
"Gush Etzion will not be cut off from Jerusalem, certainly not on our watch," MK Ariel Kellner (Likud) told Israel Hayom after hearing about the exposure. "Although the struggle against infiltrators is very important, cutting off Gush Etzion from Jerusalem is unthinkable. Certainly not in our right-wing government. I will demand that the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee convene to discuss the issue as soon as possible."
MK Limor Sun Har-Melech also responded to the publication in Israel Hayom and made it clear that she would fight the move. "We are on Jerusalem Day, when we celebrate the return of the people of Israel to many areas in the Land of Israel. On our watch, they will not cut off any settlement. The solution to infiltration is not a fence, but a territorial contiguity of construction that will physically connect Gush Etzion and Jerusalem."
MK Sun Har-Melech. "Not on our watch", photo: Oren Ben Hakon
MK Ariel Kellner. Will address the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, photo: Jonathan Shaul
Israel Hayom reported this morning that the IDF intends to begin building a fence in the near future that will cut off Gush Etzion from Jerusalem and the Beit Shemesh area and the center of the country, as part of the completion of the separation fence. Israel Hayom has learned that the land needed to build the fence that will turn Gush Etzion into an enclave has already been expropriated, despite the fact that it currently enjoys full consensus, with the understanding that it is unlikely to be evacuated in the future.
This is a process that has already begun in practice, both in planning and execution. Planning began at the beginning of Operation Breakwater as part of the closure of the Seam Zone, and includes various types of arrays. It should be noted that this is not a hermetic fence, partly due to the damage to nature and topography in the area. In the area of Walaja, no fence will be erected, but various means will be employed, and in the Wadi Fukin area, in the area of Zur Hadassah, a fence will be built with passages that will allow wildlife to move through the area.
On the east side there will be electronic means, on the west - a fence (map for illustrative purposes),
An IDF spokesperson said in response to the report that, "The decision to erect a fence in the area of the Sensen Ridge was made as part of Operation Breakwater in order to strengthen the defense, prevent the illegal passage into the home front of the State of Israel by infiltrators and weapons, and thwart terrorist attacks.
No date has yet been set for the start of work in the area. We emphasize that this is a security road that includes a patrol route and a fence that is not concrete. In constructing this operational route, there is no separation between Gush Etzion and Jerusalem, and there are other ways. The IDF works to preserve the values of nature, and therefore the work is carried out in a proportionate and professional manner, in cooperation with professional bodies and environmental organizations."
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