It is always worth looking at reactions on the Left. The Israeli Left is in a tailspin. Just two days ago it was in mourning, crying out against the shameful and calamitous loss of the "freedom fighters" who tried to breach the Gaza border fence. It then transitioned to jubilation over the victorious illegal migrant deal.
The Left's howling over the developments on the southern front teach us that Israel and the IDF did something right, that the army and Israeli soldiers performed admirably and correctly. So what are we supposed to feel about the outburst of joy over the migrant deal? Does it mean Israel did something to harm itself? Is the migrant deal detrimental to Israeli interests?
The saying that "politics is the art of the possible" has never been truer. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu understood this and was even willing to declare it at a press conference.
The right way to look at the migrant deal is from the bottom line. The deportation of 16,250 illegal migrants from Israel to three prosperous Western countries is an achievement, and an important one at that. Consider the degree of governmental effort, the law enforcement and the financial resources required for the arduous task of expelling thousands of illegal migrants. According to the prime minister, over the past five or six years, some 20,000 people have been removed from the country. It would have taken a similar amount of time to deport the 16,000-plus illegal migrants. Perhaps not everyone agrees, but it was obvious from the outset that expelling nearly half of them would be considered an impressive success, and it's certainly easy to understand why Netanyahu and Interior Minister Aryeh Deri grabbed hold of the opportunity.
And there is one more point: Flying the deportees to Canada and other Western countries goes a long way in making them far less insistent on settling here. It's reasonable to expect the departure of those 16,000 migrants will create a gravitational pull on others to follow. Without giving the anti-Israeli leftist organizations any ideas, we should also think of the positive dynamic the deportation will create from Israel's perspective.
Former minister Gideon Sa'ar (Likud) was accurate in his objections: It's not good this was accomplished through an agreement with a U.N. body. What's worse is the sense of victory among leftist groups – the "deportation resistance" – who with the help of Haaretz and the High Court of Justice were able to wage an international campaign to torpedo the government's plan.
Beyond having to swallow these bitter pills though, the clear fact remains that 16,250 illegal migrants will not be here anymore. That's more than a glass half-full.
