Israel must prevent entry of refugees from Syria – minister

Israel must prevent the entry of refugees fleeing fighting in Syria, a senior Israeli cabinet minister said on Friday. The statement by Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz came on the same day that the Israeli military said it had transferred humanitarian aid to southern Syria. “I think we must prevent the entry of refugees from Syria to Israel, in the past we have prevented such cases,” Steinitz told a radio station in Tel Aviv. The Israeli military said an increased number of Syrian civilians had been spotted in refugee camps on the Syrian side of the Golan over the past few days, Reuters said. Israel has refused to accept refugees fleeing the conflict in Syria, a country with which it remains officially in a state of war.