© POOL New / Reuters
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that he plans to surround Israel with (another) fence to protect it from invasion by Palestinians and other Arab states. He described the potentially infiltrating citizens as “wild beasts”—also translated as “predators”—and quickly garnered critics in his own cabinet. Education Minister Naftali Bennett said: “We are wrapping ourselves in fences.” Netanyahu said he believes the multi-year project, which would cost hundreds of millions of dollars, would also protect Israel from Hamas tunnels from Gaza. He noted that he was also investigating ways to seal holes in the wall that already exist in large swaths of the occupied West Bank. Netanyahu made the statement while he toured a new 18-mile section of fence. “Will we surround all of the State of Israel with fences and barriers? The answer is yes,” he said.