Jerusalem, January 11: Israel has approved the construction of fences on its southern border with Egypt to prevent people from illegally crossing into the Jewish state.
Israel is a popular refuge for Africans fleeing war-torn and impoverished countries who enter through its porous, 150-mile (250-kilometer) southern border with Egypt.
The issue of refugees is a sensitive topic in Israel, a country created in part to absorb Jews fleeing persecution.
Israeli police say 100 to 200 Africans enter illegally through Egypt each week.
Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said Monday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu okayed the construction of two sections of fence, one opposite the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah in the southwest and another near the Red Sea.
–Agencies