Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Sunday approved the construction of two sections of fence on the Israel-Egypt border in a bid to prevent infiltration into Israeli territory,
local news service Ynet reported.
The construction of the two sections, one near Rafah in the north and the other near Eilat in the south, will cost 1-1.5 billion shekels (about 270-400 million U.S. dollars), said the report.
The relatively low-tech barrier will include radars to detect movement of humans, which will help prevent infiltration into Israeli territory, it added.
However, the report did not say when Israel will begin the construction work.
The report said that two possibilities on securing the border have been presented to the Prime Minister's Office for discussion. One, proposed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), is estimated to cost 1.5 billion shekels, and the other proposed by the National Roads Company, is estimated at 2.2 billion shekels.
According to Ynet, at the end of the discussions, Netanyahu, who has spoken recently about the need to stop border infiltration which has been continuing for years, decided to adopt the IDF proposal.
Proposals have been submitted in the past, including ideas for physical barriers such as fences, but were not implemented -- mostly for budgetary reasons.
According to police estimates, some 100-200 foreigners infiltrate into Israel each week illegally through the border with Egypt. Some of them come as labor immigrants, while the rest are defined as "criminal elements" and refugees from Africa.
In addition to the physical barrier planned and the legal steps taken, Israel is also cooperating with Egypt regarding the issue of infiltration, though the decision reached during former Israeli premier Ehud Olmert's tenure has not yet been implemented.
According to this decision, infiltrators were to be returned immediately to Egypt, said Ynet.