Israel Building Syrian Border Fence, Won't Accept Refugees: Netanyahu

Israel won't accept refugees from Syria, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday as the government began building a security fence along the Syrian border.

Netanyahu briefed Cabinet members on Sunday, saying although Israel isn't indifferent to the problems faced by Syrian and African refugees, the country lacks "demographic and geographic depth" and it must control its borders against "illegal migrants and terrorism."

Accompanied by Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon and other senior military figures, Netanyahu later Sunday toured the section of the eastern border where the fence is being built.

Israel has already built fences along the Egyptian and Golan Heights borders, and the Syrian border fence eventually will connect to them, he said.

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