Sometimes disgrace can actually lead to honor. Don't say this in Los Angeles, but between us, in Tel Aviv, we can tell the truth: If the fate of Mohammed and Johannes and Esther had depended on the government and the interior minister, they wouldn't be here anymore. Their little school experience would have ended a long time ago.
They are still here, but only because various aid organizations refused to hold their peace for the children's sake. Because the Tel Aviv municipality accepted them with open arms. Because some cabinet ministers managed to wake up in time and object. And above all, because the Bialik-Rogozin school itself took the children into its embrace and refused to let them be taken away.
But sometimes, even that didn't help, and the following morning there were unneeded desks in class.
On Monday the school celebrated, both the teachers and the children, as if they had been given wings of hope. Tuesday, however, is another day, and the staff of the detention facility at Ben-Gurion International Airport are preparing to receive the first families. They will arrive on Wednesday. This is the facility that was also designed for children.
This is the end. The final blood-soaked chapter of the genocide. It will be over soon....
