Beware of the small print
When offered a deal that sounds too good to be true, it is always advisable to read the small print.
Michael Kuttner
What holds true for individuals contemplating tempting offers is even more critical for politicians and officials whose decisions will impact citizens and nations.
Throughout the long and tortuous history of the Jewish People, there have been innumerable occasions when the deals on offer have alternated between the devil and the deep blue sea. In other words, no matter which alternative was embraced the end result was decidedly deathly and even irreversible.
The two approaching Festivals of Purim and Pesach are classic examples of how things can turn out if the correct choice is made.
On Purim, we averted and defeated the genocidal ambitions of an official who plotted to carry out a Hamas-like massacre.
On Pesach, the Hebrews were liberated from bondage, and their oppressors’ leader and army were decimated.
In the former, we rejected assimilation and passivity, while on the latter occasion, we rebelled and started the long march to the Promised Land and sovereignty.
Unfortunately, there have been far too many times when we have ignored the warning signs with consequent lethal calamities engulfing us.
Today, Israel and the Jewish People face a situation whereby so-called friends and foes alike are dangling deals in front of our eyes. Accompanied in equal measure by blandishments and threats, these offers contain small print, which we ignore at our dire peril.
A brief survey of some of the “metziyot” (bargains) being touted graphically illustrate the perilous pitfalls we could easily fall into if our leaders are seduced by quick and seemingly popular embraces of dubious deals.
It is amazing but not surprising to witness how, faster than the speed of light, all those who were horrified by the massacres of 7 October have now transitioned to a traditional mode of condemnation of the country attacked. Every international official, it now seems, has a perfect plan not to rescue the hostages still being held by Hamas but instead to prevent Israel from finishing the job of defeating terror.
If the same policies now being advocated by UN members had been implemented between the years 1939 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan would have survived intact with all the lethal consequences that might have entailed. Yet, unbelievably, today, as though nothing has been learnt, Israel is being lectured to leave Hamas intact. In fact, the situation is considerably worse than just stopping the campaign to dismantle terror.
The demands now being articulated will reward terror and punish Israel. That, in plain language, is the inevitable end result of establishing a Palestinian State in the midst of Judea and Samaria and joining it up with Gaza. An analyst compared this to Chamberlain and the European appeasers handing the Sudetenland province of Czechoslovakia to the Nazi terrorists in 1938. The same shameful sham is currently being peddled, accompanied by the most transparent excuses to justify it.
The US and others talk about a “revitalised” PA/PLO/Fatah in charge and embracing democratic values, human rights and fraternal tolerance. Experts such as the Australian Prime Minister have proclaimed in all seriousness that the key to an enduring peace is a “demilitarised” Palestine. Can there be anything more delusionary than this? With terror tunnels, terror groups and hordes of weapons in the hands of indoctrinated jihadists, the very notion of a peace-loving demilitarised state is the height of hallucinatory make-believe.
Who will disarm them? Who is going to ensure that this mythical state remains demilitarised? Who will guarantee that stipends to murderers of Israelis and their families will cease? Nobody has yet been able to verify that medications intended for the hostages have been received by them. In the face of this international impotency, how on earth can Israel ever trust or rely on guarantees of a peaceful, disarmed PLO State?
Based on the failure of the UN to enforce the demilitarisation of Southern Lebanon, the idea of a disarmed Palestine in the heartland of Israel is so ludicrous that one has to wonder what the real agenda is of those articulating these stupidities. Despite Iranian support for all terror groups threatening Israel neither the US, the UK nor the EU act against the masterminds in Tehran. Bombing the Houthi pirates and sites in Syria and Iraq will not eliminate the root of the problem.
What actually is behind this sudden revival to reward terror facilitators?
The sight of Jews actually fighting back unnerves those who believe that we should meekly accept our preordained fate. However, there is something more worrying afoot. In Europe, Scandinavia, Canada, USA, UK, Australia and even NZ the electoral clout of a rapidly increasing Islamic presence is being felt. A large number of these voters, especially since 7 October, identify with radical anti-western groups and rabid anti-Israel and Judeophobic movements. One needs only to read the banners they carry and the hate-filled slogans they scream to understand that something foul is brewing.
The plain fact is that the more certain political parties and politicians depend on these sectors for electoral support, the greater will be the urge to condemn and censure Israel. The Democrat Party in the US is slowly but surely following this trend which explains why Biden and Blinken’s rhetoric is ramping up. In other democracies, some parties are already totally dependent on appeasing anti-Israel voters.
Biden has “discovered” four alleged “settler” extremists and imposed sanctions on them. Is it a coincidence that this has occurred while he is facing re-election? Is this a precursor of more progressive pleasing policies in the pipeline? Where are his sanctions against the PA/PLO/Fatah officials and followers who incite and support the murder of Israelis?
Whereas once upon a time, not so long ago, it was electorally expedient to pick on the Jews, today it is advantageous to target the Jewish State. It may not be politically correct to state the obvious, but it must be exposed.
Meanwhile, the UNRWA scandal has miraculously morphed into a classic case of whitewashing and denial.
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs has claimed that Israel has not presented any conclusive proof of UNRWA and Hamas links. Norway’s Foreign Minister revealed that countries that have suspended aid are now looking for a way out to resume funding. Without waiting for any investigation Norway and Spain have already pledged to open the money taps. Bear in mind that Norway is the designated country that Israel has agreed to transfer the PA’s tax money to for onward transmission, providing that no part of it will be used to fund dubious activities in Gaza. Can there be a bigger example of Chelm than this?
The UN is about to investigate the UNRWA situation, which means that a clean bill of health will be forthcoming, and it can then be business as usual. The US and New Zealand intend to redirect UNRWA funding to the World Food Programme and UNICEF. What provisions are in place to ensure that this aid is not hijacked by Hamas and diverted for its own terror purposes?
Saudi Arabia is portrayed as eager to recognise Israel and make peace. The Biden Administration is pursuing this with zealous enthusiasm. Its eagerness to achieve this mirage ignores the fact that Saudi Arabia and Iran have jumped into bed with each other. It deliberately overlooks Saudi reluctance to support the US campaign against the pirates of the Gulf. Those who wax ecstatic about a Saudi embrace should take a long, hard look at the very small print accompanying such a proposed deal. As currently formulated, it provides the terror patrons with the means to achieve their aims without firing a shot.
If offers are indeed too good to be true, it is doubly important to understand the small print before it is too late.
