We have built our border fences and, where necessary, border
walls, despite the outpouring of condemnation, and we are, statistically
proven, safer because of it.
Israel is affected by the way Western politicians
fail to fully comprehend the machinations of the Middle East. The Western
politicians and their diplomats are overly obsessed with doing business
with dictators for the good of their national economies. It is far more
important that their conglomerates and corporations are neatly intertwined with
the ruling elite. It would be unseemly to be seen to be curious about the
rumblings of discontent. That may disturb commercial relationships, and
potential future lucrative non-governmental careers in the Arab and Islamic
world. After all, good commercial ties with such regimes are ultimately
good for the people.
Right?
Wrong. Just look at Iran as a prime example of how wrong that platitude is.
Israeli writer, Amotz Asa-El, gave the Libyan example
of the stupefaction of Western leaders as evidenced by total failures in
grasping the nature of the Middle East beast in a recent article. The screw up
by Western leaders has led to disastrous social and economic results for many
European countries. Asa-El reminds us that in 2009 European leaders sold more
than 344 million Euro of arms to Qaddafi and then, just a few years later,
applauded his downfall to rebels. They were celebrated by Britain’s
Cameron and France’s Sarkozy who looked on Mustafa Abdul Jalil, the head of the
Libyan National Transition Council as a liberator by claiming that “this will be a Libyan-led and Libyan-owned process with broad
support.”
Cameron said he was in close contact with Jalil. A
few weeks later, Jalil declared that new Libyan law would be based on Sharia.
These European leaders were blissfully unaware that
the liberation they were celebrating was the start of Europe’s disintegration
under the weight of the human tsunami as Libya opened the floodgates to
millions of North Africans and Arabs, mainly Muslim, some Islamic.
As an Israeli I had no empathy for the mad dictator
Qaddafi. However, they should have listened to him when he warned them, as NATO
bombed his country, that, “Now you people in NATO, listen
to me. You are bombing the walls that stopped African immigration” into
Europe.
They didn’t listen. They didn’t comprehend what he
was trying to tell them. Instead, they breached the wall, toppled Qaddafi,
opened the way for an Islamic Sharia governance in Libya that has no respect
for Europe and its values, and who have swamped Europe with millions of
migrants who have no understanding or concern for Western values. Some came to
exploit the opportunities. Others have come to exploit the system.
Part of the Western diplomatic shortcomings was that
they were fine dealing with dictators and their corrupt henchmen, particularly
those who sat on oil wells and dirty contracts with European and American
conglomerates and corporations. For here was the potential for future lucrative
careers after they shuffed off their governmental roles and entered private
life with interesting and well placed people.
While in their overseas governmental positions their
main task was schmoozing the decision makers, those who could sign hefty
contracts. The concerns of the population were none of their concern. Sympathizing
with the down-trodden got in the way of carrying out what they had been
promoted to achieve, the trade that kept wheels of power, and private palms,
well-greased.
And when these Middle Eastern potentates added a
condition to support them in their condemnation of Israel in international
forums it was easy to give the nod.
They misread the tea leaves as millions took to Arab
streets. They watched, expressing sympathy for the rioters only when the
toppling of their favored dictator looked certain. They called it “the Arab Spring,” though those close to the
action, like Israeli national security and intelligence experts, warned it was
closer to becoming a stormy Islamic Winter than an Arab Spring.
Events in the Middle East and North Africa proved the
cynical Israel realists were closer to the truth than blundering Western
politicians and their totally unprepared national security heads. Just look at
the Obama-praised Muslim Brotherhood Morsi who usurped power from Mubarak, or
Libya and the murder of Ambassador Stephens and his security team as the
president, the NSA, CIA chiefs and Secretary of State Clinton waffled, blaming
it on an amateur video, and did nothing to rescue the trapped but
fighting crew at the US compound in Benghazi.
Look at the failure of Obama red lines in Syria, the
mocking of ISIS as a “JV team,” the
sucking up to the Islamic Republic of Iran at any costs to get the awful
nuclear deal done, and the all too slow realization that parts of Europe have
become cultural and social nightmares for the indigenous population.
As Israel watches the unraveling of Europe, hears the
fears of local Jews, witnesses the insanity of American Democrats demanding
open borders, sanctuary cities that protect criminal illegal migrants and
endanger their lawful citizens, it seems that the outside world has gone mad.
We have built our border fences and, where necessary,
border walls, despite the outpouring of condemnation, and we are, statistically
proven, safer because of it.
We now allow into our country the people we want in
our country, those with a commitment to the betterment of our land. Those that
come because they want to belong here as part of our people.
We
live in a dangerous neck of the woods constantly on our guard against deadly
enemies far and near. That’s why we have the best fighting force in the world,
out of sheer necessity.
And yet Israelis are among the happiest and confident
people in the world.
This feeling is only emphasized when we see the
political and social chaos that is affecting Europe, Britain, and America.
