Data presented by Population Authority officials at the weekly Cabinet meeting today show that only six infiltrators entered Israel last weekend and that 248 have entered the country since the beginning of the month, all of whom were immediately transferred to holding facilities and none of whom reached the center of the country. This is opposed to the approximately 1,000 infiltrators who entered in June and the approximately 2,000 who entered in May. All infiltrators in the past month tried to enter Israel in places where the fence has yet to be completed. 205 kilometers of the fence have been built as of now; another 22.5 kilometers remains, which are expected to be completed by this October. Later today, the Cabinet is expected to vote on an across-the-board cut in the budget that is designed to finance – inter alia – the continued handling of the infiltrator issue.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "After years in which the infiltrator issue was not dealt with, the plan that the Government is implementing has led to a turnaround and we are, for the first time, seeing a significant decline in the number of infiltrators."