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Syrian Refugees to Israel

As published in the Victoria Standard: September 14, 2015

Why doesn't Israeli, the "only democracy in the Middle East" and a self-proclaimed haven for refugees; open its doors to desperate people from Syria and Iraq? Such generosity would greatly reduce regional hostility to the presence of the embattled Jewish state in a predominantly Arab-Muslim region.

Undoubtedly, the U.S. government would subsidize the operation if the Arab refugees were willing to convert to Judaism and/or serve in the IDF since newly-settled Orthodox Hebrews receive a controversial pass on military service in exchange for their high birth rate. These religious zealots are the only Israelis who produce more children than Palestinians both in Israel and the occupied West Bank.

Such action might also go some way toward reducing justified Syrian resentment of Israel's continuing and illegal occupation and settlement of the Golan Heights. This strategic plateau was taken in the 1967 war for "security" reasons and subsequently covered with civilian enclaves; a policy inconsistent with the management of a supposedly dangerous territory.

Perhaps the real question is: why do the mainstream media completely ignore the fact that Israel receives a default refugee exemption? Such exceptionalism is a short-term solution that creates endless negative repercussions.