Israel starts building border fence on frontier with Jordan

JERUSALEM — Israel has begun building a fence along part of the country’s eastern border with Jordan as Syrian civil war refugees and other migrants flee their countries.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday: “We see today what happens when countries lose control of their borders.” He seemed to be referring to the massive influx of refugees from the war-torn Middle East and African migrants heading to Europe.

Netanyahu earlier bemoaned the “human tragedy” of Syria’s civil war and said Israel has aided its victims. However, he said Israel is too small to take them.

Israel already built fences along its border with Egypt to stop African migrants and in the Golan Heights bordering Syria.

Opposition leader Isaac Herzog said Saturday that Israel should take in a limited number of Syrian refugees.