Israel's government has approved plans for the construction of a barrier along its border with Egypt and installation of advanced surveillance equipment in a bid to keep out illegal migrants and militants.<br/><br/>It will be built along two parts of the border – near the Red Sea city of Eilat and on the edge of the Gaza Strip. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the decision was taken to secure Israel's Jewish and democratic character, but assuerd that refugees would still be allowed to seek entry.<br/><br/>The project is set to cost 270million US dollars and will take two years to complete. In recent years, thousands of migrants have crossed into Israel via Egypt.