Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently announced that his nation will not join the U.N. Global Migration Compact (GMC), set to be signed in Marrakech, Morocco in December. He cites the problematic blurring of lines between legal and illegal migration: “We have a duty to protect our borders against illegal infiltrators. That’s what we’ve done, and that’s what we will continue to do.”
If you are unfamiliar with the migration compact, Liberty Nation has covered it extensively. Israel is the 20th country to withdraw from the agreement, and as more people become aware of what dark magic the globalist bureaucrats have been concocting behind their backs, resistance to the GMC is increasing.
Defenders and Critics
Defenders of the compact would say it is a non-binding agreement and provides plenty of room for nations to protect their borders. However, the whole point of an intention agreement is to agree to policies to which a group is committed, and critics say that this one attempts to make migration across open borders a human right, without the consent of the people.
Member of European Parliament Marcel de Graaf certainly believes the GMC spells a gloomy future for the sovereign nation-state: “The agreement wants to criminalize migration speech. Criticism of migration will become a criminal offense.” Some state leaders, on the other hand, are exuberant. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau fears the workers of his own country more than unvetted migrants.
What Took So Long?
Some would say it is surprising that the Jewish state waited so long before withdrawing. There is no love in Israel for the U.N., and the feeling is mutual. The only true free democratic country in the Middle East is in a unique position to appreciate the urgent need and utility of borders. If Israel were as negligent about their boundaries as the United States, one could only wonder at the likely devastation.
After Yasser Arafat initiated the second intifada against Israel, the rise in terrorism from the West Bank increased so sharply that Israel had to create a permanent solution to their security problem: They built a wall. As if by magic, the number of terrorist attacks dropped to nearly zero, and illegal immigration largely ground to a halt.
However, Israel has not been spared the wave of migrants that has come in recent years from Africa. The estimated 35,000 African migrants face an increasingly antagonistic population. According to a survey by Pew Research Center, 57% of Israelis do not want to accept refugees fleeing war.
The government planned to return the migrants to their home countries but has so far been stopped by the High Court of Justice due to international obligations. That may be one of the many reasons Netanyahu is eager to withdraw from the GMC. It would be exceedingly hard for Israel to say no to migrants if the country signed the agreement.
Looking to the nation whose border has possibly been tested the hardest since World War II, the rest of the West could learn from Israel and say “no” to open borders.
