ISRAEL IS SECURING ITS BORDERS AND OTHER NATIONS ARE TAKING NOTE

Before Israel started constructing its border security fences, the tiny nation was flooded with illegal immigrants and subjected to the infiltration of terrorists

When Israel started to construct its border security fences the, Europeans condemned and accused the tiny Jewish of setting up apartheid state, but now that they are being subjected to a flood of refugees from the war torn Middle East, they are singing a different tune.

Those in this country that have been calling for the sealing of our borders should take a good look at what the Israelis are doing to stop the flow of illegal immigrants and the infiltration of terrorists.

YES, NETANYAHU BUILT THE FENCE
During former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's term, the idea of building a border fence was tossed around, but no one recognized the threat posed by the porous borders • Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, managed to halt the wave of infiltration

By Shlomo Cesana

Israel Hayom
September 25, 2015

"Where is the contractor in charge?" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked as he stood at the podium two weeks ago, during an event in the Arava region. When the contractor, who was sitting in the audience, rose to his feet and raised his hand, the prime minister promised to come back in three months' time. "Will you be finished by then?" he asked. At that point, the contractor became quite embarrassed. He nodded his head yes. "It's a deal," Netanyahu continued, signaling to his advisers that this was a deal that could not be broken.

And so, time and again, Netanyahu arrives by helicopter to yet another part of the border fence between Israel and Egypt. It usually involves an hour-long helicopter ride, in oppressive heat and humidity, but Netanyahu keeps coming, just as he did at the beginning of this month when he visited the first part of the border fence between Israel and Jordan.

"Israel is the only Western country that can be reached by foot from Africa. But thanks to the border fence, we are now a state that controls its borders," the prime minister says. "In a country that faces an endless list of threats, the border fence offers a solution to preventing infiltration and terrorism as well as smugglers (drugs, human trafficking) and illegal labor migrants."

There fence along the border with Sinai is currently 227 kilometers (141 miles) long and includes a host of obstacles and monitoring devices. It took two years and 1.5 billion shekels ($380 million) to complete this fence. Once it was completed, in 2012, workers began to quietly build an improved fence along the border with Syria, which has since been completed as well. Furthermore, two weeks ago, construction began on the first part of the fence along the Jordanian border -- a 30-kilometer (19-mile) section stretching from Eilat toward Kibbutz Yotvata at a cost of 280 million shekels ($71 million). Bulldozers kicked up dirt across from the Edom Mountains making it very hard to breathe. The terrain is different from the other borders and requires different engineering solutions due to flooding, the type of soil and the desire to preserve plant and wildlife.

The Middle East is undergoing dramatic changes. The old world order that we knew for the last hundred years has collapsed before our eyes. Strong countries like Syria, Libya and Iraq have disintegrated. The Islamic State group has taken root and resisted the advances of an international coalition. The U.S.'s withdrawal from involvement in the region, coupled with Iran's efforts to fill the void, have increased the danger that Israel and moderate Muslims now face.

During former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's term, tens of thousands of people infiltrated Israel's borders, mostly from five African countries. Some were labor migrants, others refugees fleeing for their lives. The infiltrators settled in Tel Aviv, Eilat and Arad, but no efforts were made to properly absorb them.

During that time, the idea of building a fence had been tossed around, but nothing ever came of it. Olmert opposed building a fence, exclaiming that we "won't fence ourselves in to death." It seems that back then no one recognized the threat. When Netanyahu established his third coalition, he led and monitored the construction of the fence, and the wave of infiltration stopped almost entirely.

Nowadays, as refugees from Syria and Africa are knocking down Europe's gates, the "continent without borders" is considering adopting the Israeli model.

When asked why Israel, a country build by immigrants, is building fences and turning immigrants away, Netanyahu replied: "We can see what is happening today to countries that have lost control over their borders. The combination of cruel terrorism and human tragedy 360 degrees around us proves that we must ensure that our borders are secure and that is what we are doing."

"The sooner we get it done, the better we can duplicate our enormous success along the Egyptian border, where we were able to halt the illegal infiltration into Israel. That is an achievement that nearly no Western country, and soon no country at all, will be blessed with," he said.

"That doesn't mean," he continued, "that we don't take seriously the human tragedy all around us. Israel was the first to provide humanitarian assistance to the victims of the fighting in Syria. But Israel is a small country. We don't have too much depth, neither geographically nor demographically. That is why we must control our borders."