The Oracle keeps speaking

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One of the definitions of an oracle is “someone who believes he is in communication with a deity and can accurately predict the future”…writes Michael Kuttner.

Michael Kuttner

This subject came to mind as we witnessed the lone ranger (alias John Kerry) galloping into our midst once again on a mission impossible. I doubt that apart from the usual crop of left wing dillusionists, anyone else in Israel expected any sort of productive result and as it turned out we were not disappointed. Before discussing this latest exercise in frenetic folly it is important to recall and analyze past pronouncements from this oracle who obviously is in constant communication with his deity residing in the White House.

It is necessary, if one is to gain any sort of understanding as to where the Secretary of State is coming from, to look closely at previous pearls of wisdom over the course of several years and then arrive at some logical conclusions.

For your edification and enlightenment here is a selection of Kerryisms which have formed the basis for US foreign policy and help to explain why we are in the mess we are today.

• The US will help Iran protect its nuclear programme from sabotage.

• Peace (with the Palestinian Arabs) has never been closer.

• ISIS will only be defeated when the Syrian war ends.

• The Middle East today is the home of populations that are energetic, youthful and forward looking. It is with them that we place our faith.

• The Charlie Hebdo attacks had a legitimacy, oops, I mean rationale.

• It’s a hell of a pinpoint operation (sarcastic comment after Israel attacked weapons storage depots during last summer’s Gaza conflict).

• We are a week away from a big transition in Syria.

• Syria is an essential player in bringing peace and stability to the region (2009)

• Bashar Assad is a very generous man (2011)

• The fight against ISIS cannot be won in the military sphere. ISIS forces cannot be defeated as long as Assad remains President (2015)

• Too many Israelis have been killed and stabbed and too many Palestinians. There is no excuse for any of the violence (on the eve of his visit to Israel 2015)

This is just a short selection but it will give you an indication of the general theme. You will note a complete absence of any recognition that those with whom we are supposed to make peace and gestures are in fact the root cause of the mayhem we now face. It is this complete absence of reality which has distinguished US foreign policy disasters over the last eight years. However it is worse than that. Excusing Islamic terror without pinpointing its origins to jihadist sermons and brainwashing is similar to those apologists for Nazism who explained away the Jew hatred of that time. Back then it was the fault of Jews who were disproportionately represented in the German professions and their malign influence on German society. The same mindset today makes Islamic terror the product of alleged frustration and deprivation when in fact these have nothing to do with jihadist martyrdom terror.

Refusal to recognize reality even when it stares you in the face is the hallmark of current policies and explains why we are facing a catastrophic future. Having arrived at a time when as a result of daily incitement there are continual acts of terror one would have thought that Kerry’s perceptions may have undergone some sort of reality check. There were those who imagined that finally he may have seen the light. Unfortunately, not having seen the light on the road to Damascus, the State Department oracle was not about to be dazzled by any light on the road to Jerusalem, half of which he keeps reiterating is occupied territory and the other half is unrecognized as our Capital.

After meeting with Israeli officials he made what optimists perceived to be positive statements about the inadmissibility of terror attacks on Israeli civilians. I knew immediately that this was just spin designed to lull those naïve enough into believing that, in the words of My Fair Lady, “by jove he’s got it.” Of course it did not take too long before it became crystal clear that he and his colleagues indeed still do not get it and in all probability will never do so. This revelation revealed itself soon after his visit to Ramallah. One of the abiding blind spots is the compulsive addiction to moral equivalency which equates terror to both sides regardless of a logical conclusion to the contrary. That is why we get bombarded with statements which attribute hate, incitement and murder equally, regardless of the facts.

Hence this pearl of wisdom after having been exposed to a litany of lies from Abbas. “I am sympathetic for the Palestinians’ dire situation and concerned about the violence.” Note carefully that he did not explain that the dire situation is entirely of the Palestinian Authority’s own making. Note also the implication that violence on the part of Israel (in defending its citizens) is implied. This is standard drivel served up every Monday and Thursday. Not content to leave it at that, John Kerry then went on to state, “unless BOTH sides make rapid compromises the situation has the potential to spin out of control. They must demonstrate a genuine commitment to a two State solution.” Obviously he has not internalized the fact that the situation will not spiral out of control here because we know whom we are fighting against and what needs to be done. The same cannot be said for Europe which is trying to slam the stable door shut after the horses have bolted and the USA which currently refuses to acknowledge the root causes and lives in a delusional never never land.

It is obvious to all but the usual suspects, that the only objective which would satisfy those generating delegitimization and hate against Israel would be the complete disappearance of the Jewish State. Advocating the creation of another terror entity in the midst of our historical heartland is therefore suicidal and illogical. Unfortunately neither logic nor common sense is the hallmark of the current crop of oracles.

Mr. Kerry need not however feel alone. In a fitting finale to his whirlwind mission of delusions it was reported that Prince Charles in an interview with Sky News claimed in all seriousness that the current chaos in Syria is caused by climate change!! It would be pretty hard to beat that. Mind you I wouldn’t be surprised if someone in Tehran or Ramallah claimed that climate change is really a Zionist Mossad plot. Much alongside the claim made this week that ISIS really stands for Israel Security Intelligence Service.

Keep an eye out for further oracles of this nature.

Michael Kuttner is a Jewish New Zealander who for many years was actively involved with various communal organisations connected to Judaism and Israel. He now lives in Israel and is J-Wire’s correspondent in the region.