Days of judgment
One of the prayers recited during Rosh Hashanah services deals with what may lie ahead in the year to come.
Michael Kuttner
We are reminded at this time of the year that our lives are fleeting and frail.
Often overlooked is the additional prayer which states that nations also face a day of judgment. This year in particular it has taken on added significance as we witness the nations of the world blathering meaningless platitudes while they overtly and covertly plot to appease evil and condemn Israel.
While making mealy-mouthed expressions of horror at Jew hate, they refuse to acknowledge that their own hypocrisy concerning Israel has been the reason that this virus has been unleashed.
Similarly, weeping crocodile tears and pretending to abhor the 7 October Hamas pogroms while at the same time denying Israel the means to defend itself and retaliate is the height of hypocrisy. The spectacle of leaders of democratic countries demanding Israel ceases fire and de-escalates so that the terrorists can regroup and rearm is nauseating. When this is accompanied by pious pronouncements of alleged sympathy for those massacred by these same terrorists the double standards are glaringly obvious.
Ignoring or minimizing these farcical acts should never be the response of Jewish communal leaders. They should instead be loud and vociferous in their condemnation and exposure of what has become rampant woke political correctness and gross pandering to electoral sectional interests.
Furthermore, some searching questions need to be posed to politicians. It should go viral on social media if the general media refuse to publicize their responses, if any.
For example, did either the Australian or New Zealand Foreign Ministers, during their pilgrimage to the United Nations General Assembly, ask President for life, Abbas, what he spends his international aid on?
Did they demand an explanation as to why the “peace loving” Palestinian Authority continues to pay stipends and pensions to murderers and their families?
Did they challenge him on his denial of any sort of Jewish historical connection to Jerusalem and why he continues to deny that the Temples ever existed?
What about any condemnations concerning his lies and defamations accusing Jews of desecrating the Temple Mount and defiling the Mosque built on the very site of the Temples?
Did Wong and Peters ask Abbas why he wants to embrace Hamas and why he cheers Hezbollah and other terror groups?
Have the Australian and NZ Foreign Ministers and their respective Prime Ministers bothered to really find out what UNRWA and its terror employees have been up to all these years? Do they prefer to keep throwing millions of taxpayers’ money into the bottomless pit of a corrupt UN organization which perpetuates eternal refugee status and enables terror groups to build tunnels? Does the fact that UNRWA schools teach hate and incitement against Jews and Israelis not deserve some sort of accountability?
Has the fact that the so-called peace-seeking PA, which embarked on a campaign to vilify and delegitimize Israel and have it expelled from the UN, not been sufficient to expose its true agenda?
It can be guaranteed that none of these questions were asked. Instead we had the shameful spectacle of an Australian abstention and NZ voting with over 140 morally decrepit nations to condemn Israel during the recent UN General Assembly lynch session. Listening to them advocating for a democratic Palestine living side by side with Israel in peace and tolerance is akin to believing that a tooth fairy rewards gullible children.
I have mentioned Australia and New Zealand specifically because these two nations once upon a time stood with the only Jewish sovereign State in its fight against those plotting to e
Michael Kuttner
radicate it. Now they have thrown in their lot with the deniers, appeasers and facilitators of a repeat of Jew hate not seen since the days of the Shoah.
The moral depths to which the leading democracies of the world have sunk is clearly exemplified by the daily denunciations issuing forth from Washington, London, Paris and Brussels. They are all singing from the same song sheet with words which could have been written back in the 1930’s when these same countries refused to deal with the Nazi bullies in Berlin.
Back then Austria was abandoned to the Third Reich and Czechoslovakia sold down the river in exchange for a worthless piece of paper. Poland was given cynical “guarantees” by the UK and France. Neither of them had any intention of fulfilling the guarantees when the inevitable German invasion occurred.
It is vitally important to remember these historical facts because when today’s spokespersons utter the same sort of garbage the lessons should be clear. As history is no longer taught seriously and today’s generation is abysmally ignorant of what happened in the past we face a situation where minds are not only blank but also impervious to any sort of reality.
President Macron’s astounding admonition that “continued fighting by Israel spreads hatred” is a classic example of Gallic chutzpah. According to his twisted logic, hatred of Israel and Jews will vanish once the terrorists are allowed to regroup and recover. The French, of course, have a decidedly dastardly track record when it comes to surrendering in the face of terror and Jew hate. The French Foreign Minister’s claim that denying Israel weapons enhances its security must take a top prize for mendacity.
A friend of mine summed up their policy as one of fraternity, equality, liberty and hypocrisy.
The EU issues increasingly strident strictures against Israel while blithely oblivious to the fact that its jihadist citizens are cheering the events of 7 October.
London and other UK cities are witness to massive pro-terror demonstrations on a regular basis, making parts of the capital no-go areas for Jews and Israel supporters.
Similar expressions of pro-jihadist support can be seen in Australia, where the Government tries to placate rather than condemn the rising tide of hate.
Instead of unequivocal support from the USA Administration there is a distinct whiff of leadership cluelessness and more than a hint of malodorous maliciousness.
What is one to make of their most recent pronouncements?
Officials run for cover and frantically wash their hands of any hint that the US helps Israel in its war against terror. In fact, they proudly admit that they are not providing any intelligence information that may assist Israel in Lebanon.
A spectacular demonstration of dysfunctional disconnection was Biden’s latest “don’t” warning. Instead of clearly backing Israel’s plans to derail Iran’s malevolent agenda he instead warned Israel not to target nuclear sites and oil facilities.
When is a bribe not a bribe but a pathetic attempt at appeasement?
Look no further than Biden’s promise of “diplomatic backing” and other undisclosed “goodies” if Israel would back off making Iran pay for its declared ambitions to eradicate the Jewish State. A brief glance at past and present US diplomatic successes clearly exposes these promises as failed frauds and fatal traps.
There have been more than 26,000 rockets, missiles and drones launched at Israel since 7 October. What other country would be expected to tolerate this? If nothing else it represents a colossal failure of any sort of international diplomacy. The entrenched terror infrastructure will take time to eliminate. The return of all kidnapped hostages still needs to be accomplished.
None of these objectives can be achieved via the sort of weak kneed moral cowardice currently being displayed by the western democracies.
According to Jewish tradition, the nations of the world will be judged in the coming year for their actions or lack thereof towards the Jewish People and its sovereign restored homeland.
Based on their past performance and current actions they will certainly be found guilty of the most appalling double standards.
Judgment day cannot come quickly enough.
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.
