Denial is the Name of the Game…writes Michael Kuttner
It should be obvious by now to even the most obtuse that those who continue to ignore the genocidal intentions of the people with whom we are urged to make a fake peace, will never be persuaded by any logical proof to the contrary.
Michael Kuttner
Thus, believers in the miraculous powers of Oslo (otherwise known as Peresites), others intoxicated by a holy grail of peace mirages, left wing liberals whose liberality does not extend to protecting Jews from suicidal terror and many sundry political and media ill informed “experts”, can all be expected to continue closing their eyes and ears to uncomfortable realities.
Anyone who has the temerity to point out the obvious is ridiculed, rubbished and labeled as an enemy of peace. My thesis of denial on the part of a sizeable slice of the population has been reinforced over the years as each disaster follows another and the same individuals continue to make the same mistakes with a blind faith in their infallible naivety.
Therefore in order to prove the veracity of my assertions I decided to test the waters and let the results speak for themselves.
When confronting politicians and their spokespersons it is important to remember that they will react to any question which calls for elucidation and honesty in three possible ways.
The first and least likely response is to acknowledge the veracity of your question and even confess that you have a point. It is also remotely possible that they may change their opinion in the light of evidence presented to them. I should stress once again that this scenario is very rare and in fact any politician, diplomat or media “expert” who displays such honest manifestations is likely to be an endangered species.
The second response is to ignore the original question entirely and answer by quoting standard phrases and hackneyed slogans designed to confuse and obscure the actual inquiry.
The third scenario is the most popular. That is to ignore the query altogether and hope that by not responding to difficult questions the whole subject will go away and be forgotten. That way the person concerned does not have to confront uncomfortable truths and give an honest answer, thereby hoping that sweeping it under the carpet will suffice to fob off the questioner.
Please bear the above in mind as I reveal to you the results of my emails to the Leader of the Israel Labor Party, the Director General of the Israel Ministry of Strategic Affairs, The Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Canadian Ambassador to Israel and the USA Ambassador to Israel.
Here is the message I sent to Yitzhak Herzog and Yossi Kupferwasser, Labor Party Head and Director General of the Israel Ministry of Strategic Affairs respectively:
“I am the Israel based correspondent for J-Wire which is the Australia and New Zealand Jewish Online News Service.
Mr. Abbas has just issued a declaration in the USA that he challenges Israel to end the occupation and make peace.
Concurrently in recent days two news items raised serious doubts as to the sort of peace which Mr. Abbas has in mind. The first concerns Fatah intentions to rearm and resume terror and the second is an interview given by the Palestinian Authority ambassador in Iran in which he outlined a plan to ethnically cleanse all Israelis (not defined as Palestinian) and expel them to their countries of origin. One presumes that as an official of the PA he was talking with the full authority of the PA President.
Neither of these two declarations exactly shows a manifestation for genuine peace. Given your intense desire to foster peace and brotherhood I would appreciate your comments. Not only our readers but I am sure ordinary Israelis will be eager to hear how in the light of these news items this worthy goal can be achieved.
The two relevant links appear below:
http://www.palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=12693
http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/4505.htm
Thank you in advance and wishing you Shana Tovah – a healthy and peaceful year.
Michael Kuttner
Israel Correspondent
J-Wire – Australia and NZ Jewish Online News
The same email with a slightly different last paragraph was sent to the Israel based Ambassadors of Canada and the USA and also to the Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Canberra: Given your country’s intense desire to foster peace and brotherhood I would appreciate your comments.”
Taking into account the three likely responses I originally outlined, here for your edification are the results.
The first to respond were the Australians. Here is their reply:
Hi Michael
The following can be attributed to a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade:
“Australia believes that a return to negotiations towards a just and permanent two-state solution must be the priority for both Israel and the Palestinians. Australia remains committed to Israel and a Palestinian state existing side-by-side in peace and security, within internationally-recognised borders.”
Regards,
Sophie Gordon
_______________________________
Media Liaison Section
Parliamentary and Media Branch
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
This reply falls into category two in which the core question of incitement is ignored and instead the same worn out mantras are repeated as though our intended peace partners are paragons of virtue who can be guaranteed to embrace democracy and the right of Jews to live in what they constantly call occupied Palestine. It encapsulates everything that is blind and deaf in the corridors of foreign ministries in western democracies.
The next response came from the US Embassy:
Thank you for your e-mail!
As you can see this is marginally better than no response but is just as useless.
Total silence emanated from the DG of the Strategic Affairs Ministry as well as the leader of the Opposition Labor Party and the Ambassador of Canada.
The lesson we can learn from this, is that those who did not respond have no intention of facing the thorny question of continuing hate incitement on the part of those with whom they urge us to negotiate with. Mr. Herzog is keen to visit Ramallah and negotiate with a peace partner who deep down denies the Jewish legal right to live here. The Minister of Strategic Affairs makes nice sounding noises about the inadmissibility of hate and delegitimisation. The Ambassadors of Canada and the USA issue ringing declarations about how we must make concessions to those who deny our legitimacy.
When push comes to shove and they are confronted with the hard realities they prefer to ignore them and hope that those asking awkward questions will go away and shut up.
I embarked on this exercise with low expectations and I have not been disappointed. It is very important that this scandalous state of affairs is highlighted so that as many people as possible can understand exactly the double standards and hypocrisy which parade under the guise of diplomacy, peace advocacy and international relations.
At least they’re all honest enough not to bring God into it and for those with ulterior motives, the government has made it quite clear Jerusalem is the capital of Israel not Tel Aviv.