(VOVworld) – Israel’s Defense Ministry said on Sunday that it has finished constructing 10 kilometers of a security barrier south of the West Bank city of Hebron.

The security barrier between Israel and Jordan near West Bank city of Jericho (Photo: EPA/VNA)

The barrier, which starts at the Tarqumiya checkpoint in western Hebron and extends southward to the Meitar checkpoint, is 42 kilometers long. Israeli lawmakers decided to accelerate the construction of the barrier following infiltrations from Palestine that led to several deadly attacks in Israel.

Last August, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot urged the government to complete the security barrier. The barrier is scheduled to be finished in the next six months.

Israel started building the barrier in 2002. In 2004, the International Court of Justice ruled that the construction violates international law.