April Fools
The dust has hardly settled after the Obama big top packed up and left town and we are faced with yet another act. This one is entirely predictable with the performers being second grade material but this neither detracts from their brazen chutzpah nor the reaction of the local and international media…writes Michael Kuttner.
Michael Kuttner
One of the main objectives for the Obama performance was a charm offensive to woo a doubtful Israeli public into believing that we could safely make more gestures towards those who hate us because we were not alone. Standing behind us in case it all goes wrong (and believe me it will) we were assured that Uncle Sam “had our back” and therefore there was nothing to worry about. No doubt the South Koreans received the same assurances when the mad regime of the north acquired nuclear capability in the face of impotent American policies. Well, we all know how that turned out. North Korea develops and exports its nuclear technology to Iran and threatens all and sundry, safe in the knowledge that they face an international community which will make a lot of noise but when it comes to the crunch will do nothing more lethal than pass resolutions.
Israel has had its own experiences of broken pledges from the USA and others in past years, from the refusal to break the Arab blockade of the Tiran Straits in 1967 even though a solemn promise had been made to do so, the abandonment by UN peace keepers of Gaza to the refusal by the US Administration to implement a Congressional demand to shift the US Embassy to Jerusalem. Taking into account these and other broken solemn pledges of past “support” the campaign to convince level headed Israelis that current and future manifestations of support would fare any better, faced an uphill task. A handpicked audience of left wing students combined with slick spins to an adoring media was deemed sufficient to swing over any remaining skeptics. To a certain extent this worked out quite well at first but no sooner had the dust settled, than reality set in. True to form, our so called “peace partners” led by the men whom Obama & Olmert deem our only hope, ripped off their masks of moderation, worn especially for the 3 day circus and trotted out their usual act. If some Israelis had been mesmerized by the illusionist performance just past then the clowns from Ramallah and Amman should have shattered any mirages.
Meeting in Amman on Sunday, King Abdullah and Mahmud Abbas signed an agreement confirming their common goal of defending Jerusalem and opposing its “judaization”. They further confirmed Jordan’s role as PROTECTOR of the city’s holy sites and “Palestinian sovereignty over ALL of Palestine, including its Capital, East Jerusalem.” In addition and for good measure (in case anyone did not quite understand) these two champions of religious freedom, civil liberties and democracy, reiterated their common goal of “defending Jerusalem’s Arab, Moslem and Christian identity from the Judaization efforts of Israel..”
Read these declarations very carefully and in the context of actual events between 1948 and 1967 as well as what is happening in the Islamic world today. When Abdullah’s father illegally occupied East Jerusalem as well as Judea & Samaria, all Jewish Holy Sites were destroyed. Jews were forbidden to visit the Kotel which presumably was not destroyed because it would have caused the collapse of the Mosque, but it was turned into a rubbish dump. The Mount of Olives Cemetery was vandalized and other manifestations of religious tolerance took place throughout the territory under the occupation of the Hashemite Kingdom. Now in 2013, Abdullah and Abbas, propped up and promoted by the international community, have the gall to declare that they are the saviours of religious freedom. Please note that they pledge to protect Arab, Moslem and Christian sites. Can you guess what is missing? It is so glaringly obvious, yet the declarations from Amman have met with a resounding silence in Washington, London, Paris, the Vatican, Canberra and Wellington. The media likewise has either not reported this latest peace gesture or relegated it to an obscure spot.
One would expect Israeli politicians at least to be issuing statements pointing out the hypocrisy of the situation but alas they too seem oblivious to its potential for damage and mayhem.
At a time when Israel is expected to make gestures again, we have come face to face with the stark reality that it is all a one sided process. Taken to its logical conclusion as envisaged by Obama and friends we are due to turn the clock back to 1948 and place our faith in their promises to back us up when not if it all unravels. Abdullah rules a country which in effect is the Palestinian Arab entity. Abbas keeps postponing elections and is trying to amalgamate with Hamas. Both these paragons of past and present campaigns against Jews are touted as guardians of tolerance and enlightenment.
Who therefore are the April fools? I am afraid there are several candidates. Logic would dictate that the Amman declarations are met with derision and scorn, if only because of their not so subtle message of delegitimisation and falsification of historical facts. Abdullah and Abbas, however, know only too well that they can get away literally with murder and that their agreement will be greeted as an example of the highest statesmanship.
The real April fools are those Israelis and Jews who are still so bedazzled by the mirages outlined, that they lose all sense of reality and are prepared to head down a path which will lead to more disasters. In this lemming like headlong rush for “peace in our time” they are joined by other April fools in the media and the international community. It will need a joint effort by all of us who can clearly see the dangers ahead and are not seduced by either honeyed promises or blandishments which will never be fulfilled, to keep pointing out the truth and nothing but the truth.
Until the legal Jewish presence in our homeland is acknowledged and a genuine desire to live in brother/sisterhood is proven, declarations such as those issued this week should be exposed for what they really are – an agenda for the eradication of Jews and Judaism from the Land of Israel.
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 works for The Israel Resource News Agency in Jerusalem.
Michael Kuttner, Yours is such a lucid, hard-headed voice and I am glad to hear it through your article. So many cannot, or choose not to, face the realities you outline. Obama is a charming man, and charm is always difficult to resist, and yet resist it we must. The problem is, I think, that people if given the option to ‘feel good’, will take it every time, even if it’s momentary. So, this is probably why so many went along for the US ride, and may continue to do so. Even the politicians wish to feel good. ‘Bedazzled by the mirages outlines’ – yes, indeed, unfortunately so.
Can you think of other ways to publicise the truth of the matter effectively, or is it a case of not enough people being willing to listen? I’m afraid I know the answer to the latter, but we must try anyway.
The US will fund and use vetos in favour of Israel only so long as Israel serves its purpose as regional watch dog and “aircraft carrier”. Israel has not won a war since the Yom Kippur war. both its invasions of Lebanon ended in failure. It cannot attack Iran by itself and the US is deep in debt and unwinnable war. More so it has to focus attention on China and its allies, not to mention the BRICS block emerging as a alternative to the US dominated IMF and WB.
The US needs to spend less on Israel and focus its waning powers on the Pacific region. Hence the distancing from Israel. Expect new cuts in grants and less political support from the US.