Dummies Guide to Peace…by Michael Kuttner

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Another week and we are facing yet more unbelievable statements and pronouncements cascading from those involved in the ongoing farce called the “peace” process.

Michael Kuttner

In order to clarify an ever more confusing situation and separate the fantastical from actual reality I have prepared an easy to follow guide for the perplexed so that hopefully those who are thoroughly bamboozled can discern fact from fable.

The assertions attributed to dummies emanate from persons associated with organisations such as the Peres Center for Peace, J.Street, Peace Now and other such groups as well as the usual crop of left wing “experts” who believe that they alone possess the secrets to the holy grail of peace and co-existence. Judge for yourselves whether they are rooted in reality or astronauts floating in some parallel universe.

Dummies: The Obama Administration has managed to stop Iran’s march towards nuclear weapons and their means to deliver them.

Reality: Rouhani praises nuclear deal as Western surrender. He asserts that the Islamic Republic has prevailed in the Geneva deal.

Dummies: Abbas is a partner for peace.

Reality: In a speech this weekend Abbas stated that millions of heroes are going to march to liberate Jerusalem. He went on to declare that “we want to go alive, we do not seek death but we welcome martyrdom if it happens…”  In other words nudge and wink we embrace suicide murderers. In addition he declared all refugees must be able to return to Israel. Without these demands being fulfilled there will never be peace with Israel (or what remains of it).

Dummies: Peace with the Palestinians will bring peace, security and stability to the region.

Reality: Palestinian Authority Ministers describe the Jewish State as racist and its religious authorities deny the Jewish historical presence as valid. Inter tribal conflict between different branches of Islam and the Islamic fanatics devotion to martyrdom via homicide bombings have nothing to do with the Israel/Arab conflict.

Dummies: Jordan and the PA will guarantee freedom of religion for all in those parts of Jerusalem relinquished by Israel.

Reality: Yeah!!! Really? The track record of the Hashemite Kingdom between 1947 and 1967 speaks for itself. Saudi Arabia is a model of religious intolerance and Christians are being murdered across the Islamic world.

Dummies: An independent Palestinian State will be demilitarized and unable to threaten Israel.

Reality: Past and current examples give the lie to this claim. South Lebanon was supposed to be free of rockets. Thanks to the UN peacekeepers there are now more rockets in the hands of Hezbollah menacing Israel than ever before. The ethnic cleansing of Jews from Gaza was supposed to guarantee Israel’s security according to the dummies guidebook. Instead we received daily rocket attacks and the arsenal of Hamas has grown to huge proportions.

Dummies: The UN and international forces will enforce security in the vacated Jordan Valley and prevent terror groups from taking over.

Reality: This has not worked in Lebanon, Gaza or anywhere else. Based on past experience the terrorists will thumb their noses at the impotent monitoring forces and at the first sign of violence & terror, the troops provided by various countries will run for the hills, leaving the terrorists in full charge. Only an Israeli security presence can prevent the takeover by jihad groups.

Dummies: Settlements in Judea, Samaria, Golan and half of Jerusalem are obstacles to peace.

Reality: The Arab campaign against the Jewish Homeland predates any settlements built after 1967. As espoused by Arab media, Tel Aviv and all of Israel is a settlement and occupied according to current policy as articulated by Arab spokespeople in Arabic to their citizens. .

Dummies:  A peace loving democratic Palestine will live in peace & security with Israel. Economic prosperity will herald the coming of an era of harmony & love.

Reality: The democratic track record in the Arab world is not exactly a shining one. The Arab spring has turned to a harsh winter. Abbas and his Government have passed their use by date and elections are at least 5 years overdue. Hamas in Gaza with whom the PA wants to amalgamate is dedicated to the elimination of Israel and the murder of its citizens. Despite billions in economic aid over the years, corruption and spending on weapons has taken precedence over improving the living conditions of its citizens.

Dummies: Abbas is Israel’s best hope for peace.

Reality: Abbas in his Arabic speeches makes it clear that the ultimate goal is the dismemberment of the Jewish State in stages. Making peace with dictators, unelected officials and abusers of human rights has never guaranteed anything in the past. Signed pieces of paper bearing the signatures of such persons have proven worthless. We cannot afford to place our trust in such scenarios again.

Dummies: Ignore the hatred and delegitimisation because it is all hot air. Carry on making concessions as though nothing is amiss.

Reality: Ignoring hate education and delegitimisation ultimately leads to physical attempts at carrying out the stated objectives. Jews should have learnt this painful lesson from their recent history.

Dummies: Releasing murderers of men, women & children will ensure the gratitude of those released and their families, thus leading us all towards a peaceful future.

Reality: Experience has shown that a large number of released terrorists, re-offend. Moreover their reception as heroes by Abbas and colleagues reinforces a collective sense of triumph that terror pays.

Dummies: At the end of the day any breakdown in peace talks is Israel’s fault.

Reality: There is nothing much one can do to convince guilt ridden Jews and those who hate Jews that Israel was not born in original sin.

Dummies: Boycotting Israel, Israelis & its products is the way to go.

Reality: Ignoring the benefits to humanity provided by Israeli discoveries and inventions is par for the course. If those advocating boycotts refrained from using Israeli products and devices perhaps we could take them seriously.

Dummies: We know what is best for Israel. Israelis are too dumb to recognise that if they continue to refuse to collaborate at their own demise the rest of the world will gang up on them.

Reality: What’s new after 2,000 years? We are still here and those who plotted our demise have vanished from the scene.

These examples are by no means exhaustive but they should serve for now to illustrate why the dummies guide to peace continues to serve as a textbook for those whose grasp of reality is tenuous and an ever present danger to our future welfare.

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.