Critics – and there are many across the world — of the fence Israel is in the process of erecting as a defense against invading murderers do not seem to understand the basic difference between a sword and a shield. Bing Crosby explained it nearly fifty years ago.On July 25 1944 Crosby ambled into a recording studio was joined by the Andrew Sisters and was handed sheet music for a Cole Porter song he had never seen before. A half hour later he left the studio having recorded a song that subsequently sold more than a million records and was at the top of the Billboard charts for eight weeks. Its name was not Don’t Fence Me Out. For readers whose age is little more than the size of their suit or regardless of age whose IQ hovers around the same number the name of the song is Don’t Fence Me In. 

The point is that fences and walls offend when they are meant to keep people in not out.

America has created ditches barbed wire fences electronic devices instituted patrols border crossing stop-points and utilized guard dogs – all intended to keep undesirable people and products out of the country.

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Before 9/11 these systems were not even aimed at terrorists who sought to sneak into this country to do violence but were designed to prevent smuggling of illegal drugs and commercial merchandise upon which custom duties had not been paid into the U.S. as well as curtail illegal immigration and keep migrant Mexican workers out of America. No one — except occasionally spokespersons for migrant workers and for people seeking political asylum — voiced any objection since every country has the self-evident right to determine who or what will be allowed entrance to its homeland.

In any developed country every house or apartment has a front door with a lock. The purpose of the door and lock is to keep unwanted people out not to lock people in. If it were otherwise keys to the doors would be on the inside of the door not on the outside. As a matter of fact – putting children and pets aside – if the purpose were not to keep people out there would be no need for these doors let alone locks at all.

The opponents of the Israeli self-defense fence immediately likened it to the Berlin Wall or more usually the Warsaw Ghetto. The Warsaw Ghetto was created by the Nazis as a way-station to the death camps not to protect the citizens of Warsaw against the Jews. If the walls of the Ghetto were put up because Jews had become suicide bombers infiltrating into Warsaw blowing up buses killing infants and children that has managed to remain hidden from history for fifty years.

Similarly the Berlin Wall was not built to protect East Berliners from suicidal West Berliners seeking to become martyrs as they slipped into East Berlin bent on reckless violence murder and their own self-destruction.

And as we know from the graphic newsreels the East German border guards were shooting at people seeking to escape East Berlin not trying to enter the city.

Some few of Israel’s critics (and across the world the distinction between anti-Semites and anti-Zionists is rapidly being extinguished) have also made a comparison with the Great Wall of China forgetting it was built by the Chinese to keep the Mongols out not to keep the citizens of China from fraternizing with the hordes sweeping down from the north.


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Jackie Mason is the world-renowned comedic genius. Raoul Felder is a prominent Manhattan attorney.