You have to hand it to the Israeli Left: hypocrisy has never slowed them down.
It appears that they took a reverse cue from the recent hue and cry attending the remarks by US President Trump about taking in so many immigrants from so-called “s—hole countries.” While the Left was in high dudgeon about the idea that Norway might be a preferable country to, say, Haiti, the indignation evidently only goes in one direction.
Specifically, when illegal migrants from, let’s call it the “S List,” are now prospective emigrants to those same or similar places, the idea that all cultures are somehow equally meritorious goes out the window. Suddenly these multicultural darlings are now dens of iniquity, danger and indeed, death.
This is not a rhetorical or hypothetical point, but the exact situation in Israel currently, as it contemplates removing some 38,000 illegal African migrants, who would return, with cash in hand, to third party African countries who are willing to accept them, not those they originally left.
Suddenly the Left has discovered discrimination, distinction and difference. The prospect of Africans returning to Africa strikes Left-wing critics of Israeli policy as inhumane, cruel and above all, dangerous.
Why would that be? The countries being discussed, Rwanda and Uganda, are countries that have made significant strides in recent years. Israel has reached out to each of them and is working closely with them in areas such as water and agricultural technology.
The UNHCR, the UN’s major refugee relief body (Actually, its only refugee relief body other than the infamous UNRWA, which is reserved solely for Palestinian Arabs), is actually promoting the idea of returning more refugees back to Rwanda. They are engaged in a major marketing and publicity campaign, hoping to see an influx back into a now stable and developing country.
What do hand wringing Left-wing critics of Israeli policy know that the UNHRC doesn’t? How could this organization countenance sending people to certain death, as the Left would have the Israeli public believe?
The answer is clear: the Left hasn’t a clue as to what is going on Africa, nor does it care. It cynically chooses to engage in a Big Lie campaign whose premise is that Israel’s decision to send back illegal migrants is immoral, and an affront to Jewish values, all because it claims an illegal migrant’s being “forced” to go back to Africa is an inhumane, cruel act.
Let’s put aside the fact that this is a voluntary deportation with a nice amount of cash being given to each departing migrant. Aren’t we being treated, once again, to the racism of low expectations? How is it, they claim, that Africans could possibly want to return to Africa? After all, who in their right mind would do this?
This is what the Left-wing critics are really saying, and this truly is Racism 101.
The Leftists are eager to keep the migrants here in Israel because they are ultimately interested in destroying the Jewish character of the State of Israel. Migrants, many, if not most Muslim, help to do that. The Left wants them to set a precedent for Israel being required to host all sorts of people from all sorts of places. The more the better, as long as they’re not Jews.
Aren’t we being treated, yet again, to the racism of low expectations? How is it, they say, that Africans could possibly want to return to Africa? After all, who in their right mind would do this?
No one should begrudge people seeking to better their lives. The overwhelming evidence shows that the illegal migrants are not refugees, but economic aspirants. That is no crime. But tiny Israel, the only country on earth whose raison d’etre is to be a Jewish State serving as a Jewish Homeland for the Jewish People, all 13 million of them worldwide, need not be that open-armed host nation.
In fact, it is a betrayal of the blood, sweat and toil of our founders and predecessors, as well as a betrayal of our yet to be born descendants, to fritter away this unique historical mission.
Israel is doing exactly the right thing: It is paying illegal migrants to return to their host continent, and specifically not to their native lands, for fear of retribution. The migrants will leave with substantial funds in their pockets, their whole reason for coming here in the first place.
Israel has no moral stain to account for; quite the opposite, our leaders are respecting the very essence of the nation.
This whole episode has shown how yet again the Left is willing to employ any argument, however false and hypocritical, in service of an effort whose real intent they are afraid to reveal. Instead, they hide behind the Big Lie of a horrendous fate for returning African migrants, a Lie that is as insulting as it is false.
Mr. Altabef is the Chairman of the Board of Im Tirtzu and a Director of the Israel Independence Fund. He can be reached at dougaltabef@gmail.com
Article source: http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/For-Arab-Jewish-couples-Valentines-Day-is-just-a-typical-day-for-atypical-love-481564
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