Mr Netanyahu pointed out that Israel had provided aid to refugees and had treated 1,000 in hospitals.
His remarks came after opposition leader Isaac Herzog urged the government to let in refugees.
Mr Herzog said: "I call on the government of Israel to act toward receiving refugees from the war in Syria, in addition to the humanitarian efforts it is already making.
"Jews cannot be indifferent while hundreds of thousands of refugees are looking for safe haven."
In a Facebook post Mr Herzog responded to Mr Netanyahu’s remarks by telling him. "You've forgotten what it means to be Jews”.
