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 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 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. Meanwhile, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said that the decision by the Jewish state to build a security barrier along the Israeli-Egyptian border is a purely Israeli affair. The fencing project, which was put forward by the military, was expected to cost between $1 billion and $1.5 billion, an Israeli government official said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting Israel would continue to allow entry for asylum seekers - most of whom come from Darfur - but will not flood the country with illegal workers.
