Israeli officials are working to extend the security barrier in the Mount Hebron area in southern Judea, Israel Hayom has learned.

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While northern Judea is more heavily fortified due to terrorism, southern Judea is considered safer and has not seen any such construction in years.

Senior government officials met last week to discuss the plans and gave preliminary approval for the building, although no budget was set.

Video: Israeli troops in Judea and Samaria / Credit: IDF Spokesperson's Unit

This is the second such plan by the current government, considered the most right-wing in Israeli history, to build a security barrier. A few months ago, Israel Hayom reported that an approval was granted for the IDF to build a security fence that would in essence cut off the Gush Etzion block from Jerusalem, the Beit Shemesh area and central Israel.

The plan to build another fence garnered heavy criticism from settlement officials, who fear such a barrier would carry heavy political implications and completely isolate Judea and Samaria.

"Instead of properly bolstering the borders of the settlements in the area and cracking down on the many construction violations here, the Israeli government chooses to build a fence that will be lamented for generations," Ari Odes, a candidate for the Mount Hebron Regional Council, said.

He also noted that the construction would cause "major damage to nature and hiking areas, as well as hurt Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria.

"It is clear to all of us that within a few years, smugglers and infiltrators will find a way to bypass the barrier and create many breaches in it, as they have done in other areas. I call on the Israeli government to rethink and not promote the construction of the fence," Odes said.

As mentioned above, southern Judea is considered safer, and as such, it is unclear what prompted plans to construct a security barrier in the area, especially given that the building of such a fence would cost millions.

Israel Hayom reached out to the Defense Ministry and the IDF for comment, but they said the matter did not fall under their jurisdiction. The Prime Minister's Office was not immediately available for comment.

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The post Exclusive: Plan to extend security barrier in southern Judea moves forward appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett visited the Shin Bet Security Agency's Samaria Regional Brigade headquarters on Sunday to discuss the latest response to the spate of terrorist attacks. 

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Bennett also toured the security barrier with the Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and the Israel Defense Forces GOC Central Command Yehuda Fuchs. During the visit, he received a briefing on the recent raids in Palestinian cities, particularly in Jenin, which foiled potential attacks and culminated with the arrest of many. He also got a tour of the Shin Bet forward operating base where officials gather intelligence to thwart terrorism.

"We have entered a new phase of a long routine aimed at breaking the wave of terrorism," he said, referring to Operation Breakwater, launched after 11 people were killed by terrorists in three attacks in the span of a week.

"Over the weekend, security forces managed to foil an imminent attack before it could be carried out," Bennett said during the visit. "The terrorists have a lot of ideas and that is why we are alert to the highest extent, and this includes the Shin Bet and the Israel Police so that we could identify even the slightest plot and frustrate it in time. Here on the security barrier, the IDF is now deployed in record numbers along the various breaches." 

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The post 'We have entered a new phase,' PM says during tour of Samaria security barrier appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.