Nonetheless, it is noteworthy that Israel, a state that invested itself with the historical mission of offering sanctuary to Jews worldwide, is increasingly applying a political test to those who arrive at its borders. Israel is denying entry not only to Arabs and would-be record breakers. And it is deporting not just those such as migrant workers and African asylum seekers who might pollute the Jewish state with non-Jewish genes. Now it is openly targeting Jews whose politics do not align with the far-right government of Mr Netanyahu.
It should be noted that many of the solidarity and boycott activists turned away are Jewish. Famous Jewish critics of Israel such as Noam Chomsky and Norman Finkelstein have been barred too.
In Israel's eyes, it seems some Jews are more equal than others.
The pulling up of the drawbridge comes as Israel's leadership has remained largely silent in the face of a rising tide of antisemitism in the US, fueled by Donald Trump's election as president. Dozens of Jewish centers have received bomb threats, and Jewish cemeteries have been vandalized.
There are growing rumblings among American Jews that their interests are being overlooked by the Netanyahu government to avoid damaging relations with the new US administration. But another reason for the lack of response should be considered.
The principle of the "in-gathering of the exiles," according to Israel's official ideology, Zionism, assumes that Israel is the rightful home of Jews everywhere. And the largest Jewish population outside Israel resides in the US.
In November, Yaron London, a popular TV host, welcomed Mr Trump's election, pointing out that "a worldview which supports white supremacy matches our [Israeli] government's interests."
Last week opposition leader Isaac Herzog urged Israel to prepare for an influx of US Jews fleeing persecution.
But will Israel's arms really be open to all Jews equally, or only to those willing to contribute enthusiastically to the tribal project?
And can Jews of conscience ignore the true cost of their migration? They can leave behind anti-Jewish bigotry in the US, but only if they bolster the Jewish bigots of Israel who lord it over the native Palestinian population.
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