Fair Dinkum Mate…writes Michael Kuttner
When the media burst forth with the breathless news that Australia had officially decided to undesignate half of our capital plus Judea and Samaria as occupied I immediately became suspicious.
Michael Kuttner
You all know the expression that when something sounds too good to be true then most probably it is too good to be true. While politicians and political pundits alike waxed euphoric over this piece of rare good news and uncommon political truth and common sense, I could hear warning bells ringing in the background somewhere so decided to hold fire with any comments until the dust settled.
No doubt the initial enthusiastic response to the report that the Australian Attorney General had decided to drop the adjective “occupied” from his Government’s terminology of territory which had been designated by the international community as far back as 1923 to be part of a Jewish State was a result of the fact that apart from Canada the rest of the UN led by that erstwhile champion of freedom and liberty, the United States of America, has fallen for the revisionist version of history as endlessly propounded by supporters of the Palestinian Arab narrative. After all, when everyone but Canada and possibly a tiny south Pacific island nation can cynically ignore historical facts, it is understandable that Australia’s seemingly startling revelation of reality should be embraced with much fanfare and an outpouring of gratitude. Moreover, as Julie Bishop, the Australian Foreign Minister had already in a previous speech cast doubts as to the occupied status of the territories concerned, this latest manifestation of matey fraternity from down under merely reinforced in the eyes of the local media and pundits a sense that decency and logic had prevailed in the corridors of power located in Canberra.
It did not take long for this euphoric mirage to dissolve as I knew it would ultimately do so. There were clear straws in the wind which carried with them the malodorous stink of past hypocritical policies when it comes to Israel.
First, I heard from a usually well informed source that the Attorney General’s comments had been made without reference to his colleagues and therefore were personal musings rather than an official decision of the Australian cabinet. Although Tony Abbot issued some sort of support it was sufficiently hedged with provisos as to confirm that what had been stated was not necessarily the recipient of a Kosher certificate.
Second, and confirming what I had originally predicted, the reaction of the Palestinian Arab Authority and its fellow practitioners of double standards was swift in coming. As expert bullies of many years and with decades of boycott experience behind them, the shining democratic beacons of the Islamic world burst forth with demonic fury, threatening Australia with every conceivable sanction for its apparent moment of truthful revelation. The ultimate weapon apart from the usual votes of censure from a discredited UN is the trade weapon. This tactic has proven to be most successful in the past and is no doubt the main reason why New Zealand for many years now has practiced a foreign policy which treads like walking on egg shells when it comes to Israel and those dedicated to its destruction. In addition as NZ is seeking a seat on the Security Council, pandering to the worst abusers of human rights becomes a necessity. After all when it comes to a toss up between millions or billions in trade and condemning human rights abuses and Islamic religious fanaticism, there is no contest. Likewise with Australian trade links in jeopardy one did not need to be a prophet in order to predict the ultimate outcome.
The first sign of rot manifested itself in a statement by the Australian Ambassador to Israel, Dave Sharma, who, no doubt reading from a script provided by his Foreign Ministry, strenuously asserted that there had been no change in policy. This of course did not satisfy the PA bully boys and they continued to issue threats which is par for the course and usually produces results.
The inevitable avalanche of appeasement soon followed and the end result is a craven retreat from what was at first perceived to be a bold and honest assessment of the status of Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem. So now we are back to square one with Australia declaring no change in policy, the Attorney General overruled and pathetic support for the Hamas/Fatah Government continuing. None of this should come as any surprise when one surveys the bleak landscape of double standards prevailing today.
Compounding this caving in to threats of violence and boycotts is the pathetic reaction to the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers. Obama is silent, the EU issues weak sounding statements, a UN spokesperson states that there is no proof the teenagers were kidnapped, the US admonishes the parties concerned to not take unilateral actions (as though the kidnappings were not the most unilateral crime imaginable) and the Australian Jewish community is urged to petition its Government to issue a strong condemnation. These examples of moral cowardice and a refusal to call Islamic terror for what it really is demonstrate to Israelis that relying on the world community for meaningful support is a lost cause. As Iraq falls to the Islamic terrorists Obama fiddles. As Assad continues to massacre his citizens the UN yawns. As Iran races to the nuclear bomb Ashton and friends try to find ways to further appease the Mullahs.
The duplicitous inaction of the democracies combined with their continuing support of a Hamas/Fatah terror state in our midst demonstrates once and for all that when it comes to the Jewish State nothing has changed.
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.
