Israeli Prime Minister rejected accepting Syrian refugees

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday rejected the opposition's call to accept refugees fleeing the war in neighboring Syria, saying his country is not indifferent to the tragedy, but is small and must protect itself from terrorism and illegal migration, reports the Patria News Agency.

"Israel is not indifferent to the human tragedy of refugees from Syria or those from Africa," said Netanyahu of the nationalist right-wing Likud party, adding:

 "Israel is a small country, a very small country, which does not have demographic or geographical breadth. Therefore, we must protect our borders from illegal migration and terrorism."

At a cabinet meeting, Netanyahu recalled that Israel had treated 1,000 wounded from Syria. Israeli soldiers often pick up wounded Syrians from the border and transfer them to hospitals for treatment, and after recovery, they return them to the border.

Israel considers Syria an enemy state with which it has fought several times since 1948, writes Index.