“…the Armenian massacre was the greatest crime of the war, and the failure to act against Turkey is to condone it … the failure to deal radically with the Turkish horror means that all talk of guaranteeing the future peace of the world is mischievous nonsense.” - President Theodore Roosevelt, a letter to Cleveland Hoadley Dodge.

Like our never forgets of September 11th, I imagine the phrase “never again” didn’t mean much more than a way for us to feel better about what we’d lived through on a human level. If we can convince ourselves that were we fully aware of what was going on in Germany we would have intervened–and that in the future we shall–we can live with ourselves. But in reality our choices were dictated by a higher power, the consideration of us not as Americans but as America.

It’s irrelevant that ethnic cleansings and genocides happened before and since the holocaust. I have come to terms with the world’s injustices but still struggle with the world’s hypocrisies.

How can a state founded in response to human rights violations deny asylum to people fleeing for that very reason? How can a state founded in response to human rights violations deny people their right to even file for the asylum before denying it?

You can go anywhere and read about how what Israel is doing in regard to Darfur refugees is morally wrong. I’m sure there are a lot of people that can tell you why it’s the right thing for Israel to be doing as well.

While I do think it’s wrong, I’m not really a studier of Israel. I can however offer a few reasons I think Israel would send a bunch of refugees back to be allegedly abused in Egypt.

1. Just Trying to Fit In
Israel is of course the odd man out when it comes to the Middle East. It also doesn’t have the best relationship historically with Egypt. Sometimes it helps to play ball with your regions bully. Israel has law on their side in this case; they didn’t do anything illegal, “the deportations were in line with the internationally accepted legal principle of ‘hot return,’ under which infiltrators can be returned to the country from which they crossed the border shortly after they are caught” (Haaretz.com). So the infiltrators were returned. Will it affect the way other countries interact with Israel? Probably not, the United States does it and so does every other first world country. There is minimal backfire in this move and it gives Israel a little more traction with Egypt.

2. It’s the Economy Stupid
There are over 2,500 poor African refugees in Israel right now. Do you know what poor people do to a countries standard of living? Poor immigrants do place some burden on the financial stability of a country. Israel has a wonderful booming economy! Just as we here in America would never have an open border policy and allow a bunch of poor Mexicans to come in to take our jobs, abuse our country’s social services, and steal our girlfriends–the same won’t be allowed in Israel.

3. The Muslim Factor
So which God do these Darfur infiltrators pray to? The majority of Darfur victims are Muslims, so I’ll assume the majority of those fleeing Darfur are Muslim as well. It might not come to anyone’s surprise that Israel has a rather long history of problems with Muslims. Is it really in the best issue of the Arab-Israeli uncertainty to allow Muslim refugees from Darfur to enter? The eternal Holy War in place in this region could receive an even greater skew as the Muslim population grows with people from Darfur entering and deciding to stay.

It is not beyond understanding that Israel would return Muslims fleeing genocide and abuse to hostile Egypt. Perhaps it is in their best interest to act as Israel the country rather than the Jewish state in this situation and look for regional harmony. Much the same way it was in the western world’s best interest to look the other way to the evils of Hitler and embrace the peace of the 1930′s as long as was possible.

There is a degree of separation between state and humanity. It can be depressing to see that separation from the outside looking in or when looking back with decades of hindsight but it is the possibly the most common approach to any international interaction. States act in the interest of states, not with humanity, and not with fairness. That’s how a state created to remind us “never again” becomes a small player in the repetition of history.

Last 5 posts by Cedric King

• MCS: Congressional Approval Ratings - September 18th, 2007
• MCS: Thinking About 9/11 - September 11th, 2007
• MCS: Bin Laden's Message - September 8th, 2007
• MCS: Acting Affirmatively Toward Racial Inequality - August 7th, 2007
• A Global Look: Cuba - August 1st, 2007