Amid heightened security tensions across the country and in Judea and Samaria, the IDF in recent days has deployed hundreds of troops to the seam zone in an effort to counter the daily phenomenon of tens of thousands of Palestinian labor migrants entering the country illegally through breaches in the security fence.
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The seam zone, or seam line, is a term used to refer to areas east of the Green Line and west of the Jerusalem-adjacent security fence.
The problem, however, is that these reinforcements are an isolated solution that will perhaps succeed in reducing the flow of migrants for a limited time, rather than provide a long-lasting, fundamental solution to the problem.
Consequently, Defense Minister Benny Gantz last week issued a directive to prepare a work plan to build the security barrier at key points along the seam line, which will be presented for his approval early this week.
According to assessments, more than NIS 2 billion is required to complete the construction of the security barrier along dozens of kilometers in the seam zone, but senior defense officials will prefer to invest that money in the security barrier on the northern border instead, where the national security threat is more acute. And yet, in light of the ongoing security failures and the threat emanating from the West Bank, it's safe to assume Gantz will allocate a certain portion of the budget toward seam line construction at key points – the intention being to build a wall or fence that is difficult to cut or destroy.
It is estimated that some 40,000 labor migrants enter Israel illegally every day, to which Israel has chosen to turn a blind eye; not just because of budgetary reasons, but because these Palestinian labor migrants support their families in the West Bank, improving their economic situation and, theoretically, reducing motivations for terrorist attacks.
It is no secret that many of these illegal migrants would not receive official work permits from the Shin Bet security agency after being vetted. However, as we saw last week as well, terrorist organizations can also exploit this open migrant highway, whether on foot or by car, virtually unimpeded.
State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman last week said more than NIS 8 billion has already been invested into the security barrier project in Judea and Samaria. Additionally, Israel invests another NIS 140 million annually toward maintenance and security activities in the area.
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