In the midst of the ongoing drama of Syrian refugees entering Europe, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu stated his reasons as to why Israel would not be taking in any of these refugees.
His comments coincided with a visit to the site of the route of a planned security fence being built on the southern part of Israel’s border with Jordan.
This is how the Telegraph reported it:
The debate over whether Israel should or should not go beyond its existing aid to Syrians such as its field hospital on the Golan Heights and treatment of Syrian wounded in Israeli hospitals, is a legitimate one.
The construction of a security fence on the Jordanian border was not, however, a direct policy response to the events of the past few weeks. As with most things in Israel, it takes a great deal of time to initiate a large public works project such as this fence. Its primary purpose is to secure Israel’s border at a time of great regional upheaval and security threats such as ISIS.
As Haaretz reported in June 2015 when Israel’s security cabinet approved plans to build the fence:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his plans years ago to build a fence on the border with Jordan, but construction was postponed due to the more pressing need for the fence in the Golan Heights, caused by the civil war in Syria.
Israeli defense officials believe that there is a possibility for Islamic Jihad operatives to infiltrate into Israel, and that building an international airport at Timna, which will eventually replace the Eilat airport, requires increased security in the area.
Following correspondence with HonestReporting, the Telegraph agreed to change its headline to avoid the misleading impression that the new border fence is a direct response to the Syrian refugee crisis.
Thanks to the Telegraph’s editors for responding positively to our request.
