Obsessive Israel Fixation Disorder Syndrome…writes Michael Kuttner

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This malady has been around for a long time but recently seems to have become more virulent and endemic.

Michael Kuttner

World-threatening events elsewhere seem to pale into insignificance as the obsession with Israel takes hold amongst the fevered minds of the international community. Some recent examples should suffice to illustrate the extent of this disorder.

The British House of Lords International Relations Committee after a six month investigation decided that the UK should lead the way and recognise “Palestine” as an independent sovereign country. Advocating a more prominent European role this bunch of pensioned-off Peers seem determined to undermine Theresa May’s refusal to apologise for the Balfour Declaration. No doubt pining for the glory days when the Empire ruled the waves and ignoring looming Brexit problems these “experts” prefer instead to join up with the Arab appeasers of the Foreign Office and obsess about Israel instead.

On the heels of his botched Israel trip, the German Foreign Minister on his return to Germany stated that Social Democrats had been one of the first victims of the National Socialists together with Jews. This crass effort to equalise the systematic murder of Jews and suppression of political dissent epitomises the extent of ignorance prevailing these days.

Next up was the Jordanian Foreign Minister who in all sincerity declared that once Israel retreats to the 1949 armistice lines and abandons half of Jerusalem all Arab States would guarantee Israel’s security. The fact that this ludicrous assertion is taken seriously by all and sundry merely attests to the idiocy now rampant in the corridors of the UN. While the Arab world is in turmoil, tearing itself to pieces and massacring its own population Israel is advised to put its trust in the hands of those who cannot even guarantee the safety of their own citizens. Instead of sorting out their own mess these purveyors of hallucinatory visions obsess about us.

North Korea has now added Israel to its list of enemies. Why Israel? Our Defence Minister apparently had the temerity to speak the truth when he recently spoke about the glorious leader’s attributes. In today’s messed up world of diplomacy it does not pay to point out the truth about regimes which enslave their citizens and suppress freedoms we take for granted. The army of the politically correct, ours included, throw a collective tantrum and prefer to pretend that silence in the face of evil is best. It seems that while it is perfectly safe to describe Israel’s democratically elected Government in the vilest terms any such expressions of revulsion at genuinely tyrannical and oppressive regimes is forbidden territory.

The Irish not to be outdone hosted a conference at one of their universities entitled “Does Israel have a right to exist?” What other country is the incessant object of such obsessive delegitimisation?

A perfect example of hyper-hypocrisy was manifested with the much touted appearance of a “new” charter issued by the terrorist group Hamas, the rulers of Gaza. From the breathless expressions of adoration to the ecstatic burbling of messianic fervour most of the international media joined together with the usual crop of gullible politicians to applaud this document. Not to be outdone our own home-grown astronauts applauded what to them is proof that Hamas has finally accepted the reality of a Jewish State. One does not have to be a genius of any sort to discern that in actual fact this new charter is just as toxic as its predecessor. While excising crude anti Jewish language it nevertheless makes its message very clear to all except those who never want to be confused by the facts. Judge for yourselves:

“The Zionist Project is a racist, aggressive and separatist project based on violating others’ rights and is against Palestine’s people and its vision for freedom, liberation, sovereignty and the return of the refugees. And the Israeli state is the tool of this project and its foundation.” (New Charter 2017, Article 13)

“We do not recognise the Zionist state. All shapes of occupation, settlements, Judaisation and the forgery of truth are illegal. These rights do not dissolve with time.” (New Charter 2017, Article 18)

“Hamas confirms that no peace in Palestine should be agreed on, based on injustice to the Palestinians or their land. Any arrangements based on that will not lead to peace, and the resistance and Jihad will remain as a legal right, a project and an honor for all our nations’ people.” (New Charter 2017, Article 21)

“We do not leave any part of the Palestinian’s land, under any circumstances, conditions or pressure, as long as the occupation remains. Hamas refuses any alternative which is not the whole liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea.” (New Charter 2017, Article 19)

 Following on the heels of the Hamas charter fiasco and perfectly timed for Israel’s Independence Day, UNESCO once again demonstrated its uncanny ability to prove the veracity of George Orwell’s novel 1984 where “double speak” and the perversion of truth rule supreme. In a display of extreme obsessive Israel fixation disorder this by now discredited UN body continues to exemplify a radically warped mindset. In summary UNESCO passed a resolution again which declares “everything Israel does in Jerusalem is illegal.” The resolution also affirms previous UNESCO resolutions that “denied the connection between the Jewish people and Jerusalem.”

The resolution also refers to UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which in December declared all Israeli settlements, including East Jerusalem, illegal under international law.

Thanks to the now retired New Zealand Foreign Minister, UNESCO now uses his UN sponsored resolution as a weapon with which to bludgeon Israel. The absurdity of denying a Jewish legal connection to Jerusalem as well as Judea/Samaria seems obvious to all but the malignantly infected. In a rather belated effort to repair the irreparable, NZ’s new Foreign Minister is trying to backtrack. However he only makes things worse. Instead of admitting the whole resolution is based on erroneous facts he stated according to media reports that McCully’s only sin was not warning Israel about it earlier. This combined with the fact that the NZ PM still thinks the resolution is a great achievement makes one wonder about their serious obsession with fantasy.

Israel’s response to the UNESCO fiasco was to reduce yet again its funding of the UN. Hopefully a more forceful and powerful rebuttal will be made on Yom Yerushalayim when we celebrate 50 years of Jerusalem liberated from illegal Jordanian occupation. That would be an ideal opportunity to shove the resolution into the dustbin of history.

All these examples of Israel obsession however have nothing on the Oscar-winning performance enacted at the White House a few days ago. In a cringe inducing performance the President of the Palestinian Authority (now into the twelfth year of a four year term) and the President of the USA engaged in a public display of mutual backslapping and unbelievable banality. The only thing missing was an assertion that Abbas, a terror lauding leader, was the reincarnation of Gandhi and possibly the Messiah himself.

It gets better because after the meeting had concluded reports filtered out which put a clearer perspective on things. It seems that Donald Trump did raise the subject of stipends and pensions being paid to terrorists and their families. This has provoked a furious reaction.

As reported in the Israel media:  A senior Palestinian Authority official has rejected the “insane” US demand that it end its policy of providing social welfare payments to the families of Palestinian terrorists jailed for carrying out attacks against Israelis. PA President Mahmoud Abbas’ foreign affairs adviser Nabil Shaath on Thursday told Israel Radio the Trump administration’s demand was intentionally designed to sink any potential for renewed US-led Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. “It’s absurd to request that we stop paying the families of prisoners,” he said. “That would be like asking Israel to stop paying its soldiers.”

This manifestation of peaceful intentions was followed by an even better gem. Abbas who had just been lauded as a peace partner stated:  “We are raising our youth, our children and our grandchildren on a culture of peace.”

The fact that this nonsense was articulated in the face of plenty of evidence to the contrary and that those listening did not dissolve into fits of incredulity and challenge Abbas, demonstrates how widespread Israel obsessive syndrome sickness has spread.

Once upon a time not so long ago when Jews were stateless and powerless the best we could do was to hunker down and hope it would all blow over. Today we no longer need to. All it takes is the will to respond in such a manner that those obsessing about us and spreading lies think carefully about the consequences of doing so.

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.