Here is the recent news about "flightilla", i.e. the plan by several hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists (mainly Europeans and Americans, i.e. holding European and American passports, allowing them visa-free entry to Israel) to arrive simultaneously to the Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport and hold there a protest.
I have already written elsewhere about the common misconception among the Western "liberals", who do not realize that their well-being and the very ability to hold and practice their liberal views are guaranteed by their governments imposing restrictions on access by non-Westerners. This misconception is on full display in relation to the "flightilla" - as one American activists said:
“I have been using my name, because I do not have anything to hide. I am hoping that my right to free movement will be allowed by all the countries through which I am traveling,”[Emphasis mine]
This person, obviously accustomed to freely traveling with her American passport, appears to be ignorant of the fact that any country has a right to deny access to unwelcome individuals. And this right supersedes these individuals right to free movement (whatever it means). Indeed, this activist's own country, the United States, exercises this right in respect to many foreign nationals by requiring them to obtain visas before visiting the US and often refusing to grant the requested visas. Indeed, had the Palestinians decided to arrive "en mass" to a US airport, this attempt would be countered in the very root by the US embassy.
Moreover, the ignorance about the US denying (rightfully) access to may foreigners becomes even more striking when we think about the millions of illegal immigrants living in the US, and the ongoing national debate on this issue, and the possibility of the immigration reform. In the World where the "right to free movement" were supreme, the illegal immigrants would not exist.
Finally, I would like to stress that, although I use the US as an example, all countries concerned about the well-being of their citizens practice similar harsh measures. There is no "right of free" movement between the countries - but there is a privilege to enter a country without visa.
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