Eyes wide open
We are living in volatile and uncertain times.
Michael Kuttner
At this time last year I predicted that peace would not break out any time soon. That was before the 7 October pogrom when some people still harboured illusions about the real intentions of the fake Palestinians and their terrorist enablers.
Amazingly, despite all evidence to the contrary, many of these hallucinatory individuals and groups still refuse to open their eyes and see the evil which is convulsing in front of them. Instead of condemning the terrorists and the haters they prefer instead to blame the “evil Zionists.” In their warped world there would be universal peace and love if only the Jews would roll over and allow themselves to be slaughtered.
It is this myopic malady which has spread to all corners of the globe and unsurprisingly also infects our own self-loathers.
As I write these lines, sirens are wailing in many parts of Israel as Iranian-sponsored Hezbollah and Hamas hurl rockets indiscriminately into Israeli communities.
This sets the scene for what lies ahead as we prepare to usher in the three religious festivals of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Succot.
The civil anniversary of the 7 October massacre and abductions will this year occur during the Ten Days of Repentance leading up to Yom Kippur. It will undoubtedly unleash a whirlwind of worldwide hate. Instead of fury at the fact that the kidnappers have been absolved of any guilt and that they continue to hold their still-living captives in the most inhumane conditions, the unhinged haters will vilify Israel.
Simchat Torah this coming year will be a painful celebration and one which has the possibility or probability of sparking more acts of terror from those whom the international community are determined to excuse, appease and mollify.
There is no point in looking to the corrupt United Nations and its irredeemably corrupted associated bodies for any sort of support in the twelve months which lie ahead. From the Secretary General himself down to the most minor officials there is no willingness to challenge the moral malaise which has now overtaken these failed institutions. What we should be aware of is the further rapid collapse of any sort of supposed even-handedness from the likes of the misnamed UN Human Rights Council and Criminal Courts at The Hague.
The anti-Israel venom spouting forth from UN-appointed Francesca Albanese, the so-called “Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories”, will escalate to even further absurd heights. Other such appointees will also have a field day while representatives of democratic countries prefer to either ignore their ranting or will willingly agree.
A perfect example of the latter is provided by Penny Wong, the Australian Foreign Minister who has taken Australian Government’s animosity against Israel to new heights. Attending the annual hate fest in New York she claimed that “the UN is where the world comes together to agree and uphold the rules.” Anything more detached from reality would be difficult to find. Her assertion is however typical of the lunacy which has gripped hitherto sane and sensible foreign ministries in what used to be level headed democracies. It also explains why the takeover of the UN by the despots, tyrants and hypocrites has been successfully accomplished.
The outgoing EU Foreign Policy Chief accused Israel this week of “spreading terror by targeting Hezbollah leaders.” Can you think of a more deranged conclusion as Israel seeks to eliminate the planners and perpetrators of actual terror?
The French can always be relied on to show their true animosity when it comes to Jews. Macron, in a telephone conversation with Netanyahu, laid the entire responsibility for preventing an escalation on the Israeli PM’s shoulders. With typical Gallic insincerity, he maintained that “you can opt for a diplomatic solution. Your activity in the north is pushing the region to war.” This incredible piece of pontification comes after thousands of Hezbollah rockets embedded among Lebanese civilians have been fired at Israeli communities.
Proving that one can always fool some people most of the time is the fact that Ronald Lauder, head of the World Jewish Congress, after a meeting with Macron gushed that ”the French President is an unwavering ally to the Jewish People.” With Jew hate running rampant and anti-Israel policies being promoted, one has to wonder what sort of parallel universe some of our “machers” inhabit.
Meanwhile, a former NZ Prime Minister and now self-described “elder” of the UN, Helen Clark, speaking at the UN Security Council, demanded that “all States cease any assistance to or trade with illegal Israeli settlements.”
Instead of forceful and uncompromising US leadership, what we have in Washington is an Administration totally detached from reality on the ground. When you hear phrases such as “diplomatic off ramp” being repeated you know that Israel is expected to fold in the face of terror. Appeasement in all its obscene incarnations is the prevailing policy. It is obvious that failed diplomatic tactics are preferred in preference to crushing bullies and terror sponsors.
These few examples of international idiocy demonstrate what can be expected in the coming year.
The automatic spinoff of all these unhinged reactions to Israel’s legitimate responses against terrorist groups is an increasingly virulent rise in hate against Diaspora Jewish communities. The virus is spreading uncontrollably and infecting all continents.
Jewish students are facing levels of hate not seen since the rise of Nazism with not only verbal assaults but also physical violence becoming the norm.
Fueled by the general and social media there is very little that can be done to defeat or even mitigate its toxic effects. Increasingly woke policies by democratic governments will ensure major challenges for communities hitherto insulated from this plague.
Another phenomenon, albeit an ancient one, is the spectacle of detached, disaffected and woefully ignorant individuals claiming some sort of Jewish identity joining the ranks of the anti-Israel lynch mobs. Joining those who hate you in the belief that you will be spared has always been a losing proposition. Current followers of this self-loathing fraternity are obviously oblivious to this.
Our entire historical experience has been one of overcoming the most formidable obstacles. We have survived the most horrendous genocides and exiles from our Promised Land. We have revived our ancient language and we have finally returned to the places which since the dawn of time have been connected to our heritage.
For most of the last three thousand years, we had no sovereignty and no army, and we remained at the mercy of alien cultures and empires which mainly despised us. Despite barriers designed to shun, ban and delegitimize us we overcame them and contributed to the betterment of humanity.
Our biggest mistake was and still is the naïve belief that the nations of the world will be so grateful for the contributions we make that somehow all prejudices would disappear and Jews would be accepted as equals. While in theory this is the situation today in democratic nations, the veneer of tolerance is thin and it does not take much for the ancient virus to reactivate.
Jews reclaiming their ancient sovereignty and defending it is too much for all those who expect them to meekly submit and be the eternal victims. The perversion of Islamic jihadist Jew hate combined with a surrender of Christian mainstream Churches to anti-Zionist dogmas presents a lethal challenge. Bible-believing Evangelicals remain some of our only true allies. Increasing secularization and total ignorance of history guarantee a future generation of brain-dead morons devoid of any knowledge of historical facts.
The irrefutable fact remains that the Jewish People have survived the mightiest empires of evil. We have achieved this impossible feat because we did not remain passive victims but devised communal and religious strategies of survival. This necessitates leadership unafraid to speak out and expose cynical double standards. It needs anti-woke leaders who are willing to put their collective heads above the parapets. Do these persons exist, or have they all run for cover, preferring politically correct gestures instead?
As we prepare to face an uncertain future, we need to remember that God helps those who help themselves. We are an eternal People with a road map leading to a more just and better world. The journey may be long and fraught with serious challenges but the objectives are clearly articulated in our Covenant sealed at Mount Sinai.
Shana Tova and Geula Shleima.
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.
