In the near future, the IDF intends to begin building a fence 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.
While the State of Israel is delaying the decision to annex the settlement blocs, the security agencies are taking tactical steps on the ground that are liable to harm them on the strategic level. Thus, the government of change announced that the defense minister would approve construction plans in villages around Gush Etzion that effectively choke the entrance to Jerusalem. The IDF is now planning to build a fence separating Gush Etzion from the capital in order to eradicate the phenomenon of infiltrators, even though this could severely harm the region with regard to its strategic perception as Israeli territory.
The Separation Barrier will be extended to a block (archive), photo: None
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 built, 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 around the area.
"What Sharon didn't do Netanyahu will do"
The plan to build a fence in the area between Wadi Fuqin and Battle Hill is not new, and Gush Etzion has been waging a struggle for nearly 20 years against this intention, with the backing of public figures and nature organizations, because the damage to nature is grave and they claim there is no reason to build such a fence since it is not a significantly threatened area. Residents are outraged that fateful decisions are being made in the area under the guise of security, even though they may be difficult or unchangeable afterwards.
"The most right-wing government in the last 20 years is going to build a fence between Gush Etzion and Jerusalem along the route of the separation fence. What Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert did not do, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Galant, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir will do." The army, on the other hand, claims that these are only security decisions and have nothing to do with any political decisions.
Leading the fight against construction. Yaron Rosenthal (Archive), Photo: Lior Mizrahi
Behind the struggle has been Yaron Rosenthal, former CEO of the Kfar Etzion Field School and today the Kfar Etzion Farm Center, who attacks the decision to re-advance the construction of the fence. "It is very doubtful whether this fence, like the other parts of the separation fence built in the past, will contribute to the security of Israelis. What is certain is that the damage caused to the nature and landscape that is so special in the area is very great. Even worse, the fence will cut off Gush Etzion from Jerusalem and the Jerusalem Hills, exactly 2005 years after the liberation of Gush Etzion."
Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel Opposes
The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel also spoke out strongly against promoting the construction of the fence. "The Wadi Fukin area and the Sensen Reserve is a highly functional and valuable ecological space. Wadi Fukin and the Sensen Range are actually one area, not separated or geographically divided, and have the highest environmental value, alongside the qualities of landscape and traditional agricultural heritage in the Land of Israel. The construction of a fence and a security axis will severely harm the area and almost completely destroy the ecological functioning of the area as part of the national ecological corridor. From the time the Separation Barrier was erected until today, Wadi Fukin and the Sensen Ridge have remained an open space.
"Before carrying out such an offensive procedure, in such a sensitive area, at least an environmental impact assessment should be carried out, but unfortunately this basic requirement has not been made at all. The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel calls to examine alternative security solutions and preserve the national ecological corridor, the local Israeli gazelle population, and the landscape and heritage values of the region," the organization added.
An IDF spokesperson said in response: "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 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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