A Capital Offence
One of the synonyms for a capital offence is a heinous crime.
Michael Kuttner
This more than adequately describes most of the international community’s reaction to the liberation of Jerusalem from illegal Jordanian control in 1967 and its reunification as Israel’s undivided capital.
Jerusalem Day is celebrated on 28 Iyar, which corresponds this year to 19 May. Interestingly, Yom Yerushalayim is not designated as a national holiday.
On Shabbat, I was reading an article that helped explain this lack of an official national rejoicing. Although the day may be marked in other parts of the country, the mystery remains as to why it has not been officially recognised in the same way as Yom Ha’Atzmaut.
The answer is really quite simple and once again demonstrates the spineless attitudes of our politicians. They stand up in the Knesset and give rousing speeches about the importance of the occasion but fail to pass legislation marking the liberation of Jerusalem as a national holiday.
The reason is not hard to discern.
Apparently, in 1967 after the Old City was reclaimed from the Jordanians, it was proposed that the day should be designated as an official holiday. However, this never happened because the fear of Arab hostility frightened the politicians into scuttling the idea. At this stage, Moshe Dayan had already handed the keys to Har Habayit (the Temple Mount) back to the Jordanian-affiliated Islamic authorities, thus, in fact, abrogating the Jewish claim to the holiest site in Judaism.
Instead of any sort of grateful reciprocation for this futile act, all that has been received since then has been incitement and a rejection of any sort of Jewish claim to sovereignty there. The Temple Mount may have been in our hands after two thousand years, but we squandered the opportunity thanks to a misguided gesture by the Defence Minister and subsequent fear of what others might say. This explains why when Jerusalem Day was mooted, it was reduced from a national holiday to scaled-down local celebrations.
It also appears that the US Government at the time issued a stern warning to Israel not to make the liberation of the capital into a major event. Folding in the face of such double standards and hypocrisy, our politicians once again demonstrated that rhetoric did not match actual deeds.
As a result of decades of Israel kowtowing to the dictates of so-called friends, it is no wonder that the latter-day Palestinian Arabs and their groupies can scent weakness and vacillation. That is why they managed to convince everyone, other than the Trump Administration, that war and conflict would erupt if Jerusalem was recognised as the Capital and Embassies moved there.
It is a bit late in the day to try to fix this mess. If we would have acted in 1967, the situation would now be radically different. Instead, we caved in when Tel Aviv became the default home of foreign representations. We shut up when Ambassadors presented their credentials to the President in unrecognised Jerusalem and sent Government Ministers to national day celebrations of foreign countries in Tel Aviv, Herzliya or Netanya.
The corollary of all this knee-bending is that the terror groups and their sponsors feel emboldened to threaten mayhem if Jews dare to commemorate the day that Jerusalem was liberated.
One of the events which has grown in popularity is the annual flag march around the walls of the Old City, encompassing the areas returned to Israeli sovereignty. This year as in the past, the terror groups and their patrons have issued dire warnings and threatened violence if Jews dare to celebrate. They do this in the safe knowledge that the UN has declared Israel’s Capital as non-existent and its eastern part “occupied” and against so-called “international law.” They also know that there are certain politicians and trembling Jews who will condemn any manifestation of joy at the reunification of Jerusalem.
Think about it for a moment.
If the international community can blatantly ignore three thousand years of a Jewish connection to the city and at the same time blithely sanitise its illegal Jordanian occupation between 1948 and 1967, it is no wonder the PA and terror groups feel emboldened. Israelis rejoicing on this day are accused of provocations and upsetting the delicate feelings of those who deny that Jews have any connection to the Holy City.
As long as this farce continues and the deniers of history and promoters of terror are given a “hechsher” by the members of the UN, there is no prospect of any meaningful peace being arrived at with the latter-day Palestinian Arabs.
Unfortunately, far too many on the left still believe that it is our entire fault. This mindset is exemplified by a statement posed in a recent Jerusalem Post column written by one of its veteran journalists (Greer Fay Cashman).
She wrote this pearl: “If Israel and a major part of the Jewish world could make peace with Germany, Israel should be able to make peace with the Palestinians.”
Anyone, of course, with any smattering of historical knowledge would immediately understand that in order for Jews and Israel to come to terms with Germany, its evil Nazi regime and agenda of Jew hate had first to be eradicated. Not only were they defeated but the post-war successors had to voice contrition and make amends.
Only those living in la la land could therefore advocate any sort of genuine peace with the gangsters now ruling in Ramallah and Gaza. What needs to happen first is the complete defeat of those whose present ideologies erase any Jewish presence, an acknowledgement of past terror crimes and a pledge to make amends.
The problem is that the German analogy will never come to pass because there is no willingness to destroy the terror gangs and bring about fundamental change.
Speaking about Germany, a report this week in Israel’s largest circulation newspaper, Israel Hayom, reveals something which is not surprising given current hypocrisy but nevertheless is a scandalous situation.
Apparently, according to this article, German diplomats have been told not to take photos either in the Old City or with its walls in the background. The paper learnt that on two occasions in the recent past, diplomats staying at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem refused to take photos with the walls of the Old City in the background. On both occasions, the German diplomats said that the matter went against instructions and preferred a different background.
Responding to an inquiry by the paper, the German Embassy in Tel Aviv denied that its diplomats were restricted in the sites they could visit and photograph. In a typical Orwellian double speak, the Embassy, according to this report, went on to add that “ it advised its official delegations of the Federal Government’s position regarding the status of East Jerusalem and the occupied territories – a position based on international law.”
If you can cut through these diplomatic verbal acrobatics, you can clearly see the ludicrous situation which exists.
In the absence of any firm response and rebuke from our side, is it any wonder that the deniers and historical fabricators have a field day?
It reminds me of Basil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers proclaiming, “don’t mention the war.”
Right on cue and as predictable as a Swiss cuckoo clock, President for life, Abbas, spoke this week to an adoring audience at the UN General Assembly on the occasion of “Nakba” Day. He spewed forth the usual litany of lies which included patent falsehoods covering almost every conceivable matter associated with Israel’s rebirth. In an hour-long harangue, he blamed everyone but his own rejectionists for the plight of the Palestinian Arabs demanded the return of “refugees” who have now multiplied to over six million, denied the existence of the Temples or any Jewish presence in Jerusalem and demanded the expulsion of Israel from the UN. For good measure, he also claimed that despite years of archaeological digs, no proof has ever been found of any Jewish habitation.
This oratorical orgy of hate, incitement and rejection of historical facts was greeted with a standing ovation by all those countries represented. A more shameful and disgraceful display of international hypocrisy would be hard to find and is yet another nail in the coffin of an organisation that has outlived its relevance.
It seems that forty-five countries refused to attend this theatre of the absurd. Considering that 193 nations are members of the UN, this demonstrates beyond a shadow of a doubt the moral depths to which it has sunk.
Australia once again refused to be part of the Abbas Nakba farce. New Zealand is not mentioned as having absented itself. If, in fact, they took part in this shameful charade, it would follow a past track record of siding with the anti-Israel majority.
Yom Yerushalayim is, therefore, without doubt, the perfect opportunity for all of us to reaffirm our millennia attachment to our eternal Capital.
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.
Well said,Michael!