Israel's government has approved plans for the construction of a barrier along its border with Egypt in a bid to keep out illegal migrants and fighters.

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.

Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said the decision was taken to secure Israel's Jewish and democratic character, but that refugees would still be allowed to seek entry.

In recent years, thousands of migrants have crossed into Israel via Egypt.

Israel believes this is the best option to protect its borders with Egypt. The other option would be to amend the Egyptian–Israeli peace treaty to allow for more Egyptian border troops to be deployed.

Can fences and walls provide the security a nation seeks and where does it leave genuine asylum seekers?

Inside Story presenter Nick Clark is joined by Issandr El Amrani, an Egypt-based author and political analyst specialising in Middle Eastern and North African affairs, Abdullah Al-Ashal, a professor of international law at the American University in Cairo, and Gerald Steinberg, the chair of political studies and director of the conflict resolution programme at Bar Ilan University.

This episode of Inside Story aired on Tuesday, January 12.