TheEgypt–Israel barrier orEgypt–Israel border fence (Hebrew:שְׁעוֹן הַחוֹל,romanized: Sheʽon HaḤol,lit. 'sand clock') refers to aseparation barrier built byIsrael along its border withEgypt. Initial construction on the barrier began on 22 November 2010,^[2] and its original purpose as a common fence was to curb thelarge influx of illegal migrants from African countries into Israel.^[3][4] However, in the wake of theEgyptian Crisis after the2011 Revolution, Israel'ssouthwestern border with Egypt experienced an increase in militantjihadist activity with the outbreak of theSinai insurgency. In response, Israel upgraded the steel barrier—calledProject Hourglass by theIsrael Defense Forces (IDF)—to include cameras, radars, and motion detectors. In January 2013, construction on the barrier's main section was completed;^[5] the final section was completed in December 2013.^[6]

A number of countries, including theUnited States andIndia,^[7] have sent delegations to Israel to observe its border-controlling capabilities and the various technologies used by the IDF to secure Israel's boundaries against theArab states. Some of these countries have expressed an interest in implementing Israeli strategies and technologies with their own border fences; theTrump administration cited Israel's border strategies as inspiration for thebarrier built by the United States alongits border with Mexico,^[8][9][10] while Indian officials have discussed the implementation of an "Israel-type model" for thebarrier built by India^[11][12] alongits border with Pakistan.^[13][14][15]

The 245-kilometre (152 mi) barrier,^[16] stretching from the Israeli city ofEilat in the south to theGaza–Israel border in the north,^[17][18] took three years to construct at an estimated cost of₪1.6 billion (US$450 million), making it one of the largest projects in Israel's history.^[6]

An old and rusty low-height fence swamped by shiftingsand dunes, which mainly served as a border marker betweenEgypt'sSinai Peninsula andIsrael, had already existed in theNegev Desert prior to any barrier considerations. The smuggling ofcigarettes as well asdrugs byBedouins whose tribal lands straddle the Egypt–Israel border had been a long-term but low-level problem. However, armed infiltrations byArab militants into Israel along the porous border led to Israeli calls for the construction of a security fence by December 2005;^[2] theIsraeli government decided to build the barrier in the late 2000s, in light ofmass illegal African immigration.

Theseparation barrier was originally planned in response to thehigh levels of illegal African migrants, mainly fromEritrea andSudan, who were being smuggled intoIsrael byBedouin traffickers. Tens of thousands of people attempted to cross fromEgypt'sSinai Peninsula into Israel every year, predominantlyeconomic migrants. DuringHosni Mubarak's regime, Egyptian border guards sometimes shot African migrants who were trying to enter Israel illegally.^[19][20] Israeli prime ministerBenjamin Netanyahu stated that the barrier is meant to "secure Israel'sJewish and democratic character."^[21] The2011 Egyptian revolution, the demise of Mubarak's regime, increased lawlessness anda rising Islamist insurgency in the Sinai, as well as the2011 southern Israel cross-border attacks led to the project's upgrading with surveillance equipment and its timetable for completion being expedited.^[22]

The fence has two layers of fencing, one with barbed wire.^[23] The structure includes the installation of advanced surveillance equipment. Eventually the whole border will be sealed. The estimated cost of the project isNIS1.6 billion ($450 million).

In March 2012, nearly 105 km (65 miles) of fence had been built by 30 contractors working concurrently and building several hundred meters (yards) of the fence every day. The goal was to finish the remaining 135 km (84 miles), including those running through the mountainous area of Sinai, in 2012.^[24] Construction of the main section 230 km (143 miles) was completed in January 2013.^[25][26] The project was completed in December 2013.^[6]

While 9,570 citizens of various African countries entered Israel illegally in the first half of 2012, only 34 did the same in the first six months of 2013, after construction of the main section of the barrier was completed.^[27][28][29] After the entire fence was completed, the number of migrant crossings had dropped to 16 in 2016.^[30]

Egypt has stated that it does not object to the construction of any barrier as long as all fortifications are built onIsraeli soil.^[21]

• Egypt–Israel relations, an overview of the bilateral relationship between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the State of Israel
  • Gaza–Israel barrier, a separation barrier built by Israel along its border with the Palestinian territory of the Gaza Strip
  • Egypt–Gaza barrier, a separation barrier built by Egypt along its border with the Palestinian territory of the Gaza Strip
• Israeli West Bank barrier, a separation barrier built by Israel around the Palestinian territory of the West Bank

• Media related toIsrael–Egypt border fence at Wikimedia Commons

• Egypt–Israel border
• Border barriers
• Egypt–Israel relations
• Borders of Egypt
• Borders of Israel
• Sinai Peninsula
• Illegal immigration to Israel
• International borders

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