Fantasia – Illusions, Delusions and Confusion…writes Michael Kuttner
I remember as a child in New Zealand many years ago watching the first animated Walt Disney movie called Fantasia.
It portrayed a make believe world of nature, animals and humans all accompanied by beautiful music and dialogue. The great thing about this film was its appeal to children and adults alike. Somehow its message of fantasy tugged at the heartstrings of the audience and it went on to become one of the most memorable of Disney’s productions.
Michael Kuttner
Most of us of course are aware that real life is not fantasia like and that reality is far from the idyllic scenes portrayed in that production. Those who have not abandoned reality know that in actual fact every day events present us with hard decisions which in many cases can have a major impact on our present and future security and wellbeing. Most of us know that fantasia like scenarios rarely occur and although they are potentially wonderful it is likely that we will have to wait for the Messianic Age to dawn before we can actually experience them. All this should not deter us from trying to make the world a better place but a hefty dose of down to earth common sense is a basic requirement for this task.
No other region and country has attracted more fantasia induced hallucinations than the Middle East in general and Israel in particular. There seems to be some sort of fatal attraction which promotes the most hare brained schemes by politicians and others, all designed to defy reality and past failures with near disastrous results. I wouldn’t have enough space to enumerate all these illusions, delusions and confused illogical mirages but here are some of the most glaring from the recent past and current crop being trotted out on an almost daily basis.
In 1929 after the horrendous pogroms carried out in Palestine by the Arab population, Judah Magnus an American Reform Rabbi proposed that a bi-national State where Jews and Arabs would live in perfect harmony was the ideal solution. Despite all evidence to the contrary he maintained this fantasia for the rest of his life.
The 1940’s saw the formation of the Canaanite Movement which sought to sever the connection between Judaism and the Jews and the land of Israel. These early historical revisionists and their latter day followers which included well known literary luminaries continued to fantasize about a utopian society where the Jewish identity would be eliminated and love would reign supreme.
After the 1956 Suez campaign, President Eisenhower pressured Israel to withdraw from Sinai and promised that freedom of shipping would be maintained. Nothing of the sort happened of course but never mind, in the eyes of the State Dept. fantasy illusions were the order of the day.
In 1967 after threats by Nasser of Egypt, the UN withdrew their misnamed peace keepers and as the world watched the gathering Arab forces prepared to wipe out the Jewish State. After Israel’s stunning victory which saw Jerusalem reunited and Judea, Samaria liberated from illegal Jordanian control, in an act of unbelievable fantasia, Moshe Dayan handed back control of the Temple Mount to the Moslem authorities in the delusional expectation that they would be eternally grateful at this gesture of goodwill. The result? Today Jews are barred from visiting the Temple Mount in order to pray there and the Moslems instigate riots on a regular basis.
Who resurrected Arafat and the PLO from oblivion in Tunisia and brought thousands of terrorists to our back yard? Our delusional leaders of course whose visions of fantasy submerged any rational thinking in a morass of mirage like illusions.
Who gave us the Oslo disaster which has resulted in the death and maiming of thousands of Israelis? Who embraced Arafat as a peace partner and then basked in the glow of a farcical Nobel Peace Prize? Who, when confronted by Arafat’s statements about Jihad brushed it off with fantasy like remarks such as …” he really means Jihad for peace….” …”never mind what he says – it’s what he does that matters…”? Even after what Arafat did and the Jihad for peace turned to burnt ashes, Shimon Peres continued and continues to dwell in a land of fantasy, blithely ignoring the chaos and mayhem which has resulted and the disasters which can be predicted in the future.
From unilateral concessions and withdrawals, release of terrorist murderers, arming of Palestinian Arab militias, ignoring hate education and incitement to murder, certain politicians and media plus other assorted “enlightened” segments of the population, all taking their lead from our esteemed President, continue to float fantasia like schemes which defy any logic. Embracing Abbas, the Holocaust doubter and inciter par excellence who loses no opportunity to vilify Israel on the international stage and who has decreed that a Palestine State will be Jew free, as a beloved brother in the cause of heavenly harmony and the guarantor of democracy, civil rights and religious freedom is as fantastical as it can get.
Dividing Jerusalem must qualify as a winner in the fantasia stakes. Former Prime Minister Olmert (who hopes to make a come back) offered to place the Temple Mount and other Jewish Holy sites in the Old City under the protective custody of amongst others Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Imagine Jordan, which during its illegal occupation between 1948 and 1967 destroyed the Mount of Olives cemetery, every Synagogue and Jewish communal building, banned Jews from visiting the Western Wall and ethnically cleansed the city of a Jewish presence, being entrusted with guaranteeing freedom of worship for Jewish Israelis. Imagine Saudi Arabia which enforces a fanatical version of Islam, bans followers of other religions from openly displaying their faith and denies basic human rights to women, being asked to be guardians of Jerusalem Jewish and Christian holy sites. To any sane individual this sounds like a lunatic idea but it is one which fantasia afflicted politicians and others still promote.
Barak Obama has abolished the words “Islamic terror” from the vocabulary of his administration and has basically abandoned any effective war on terror. It is therefore no surprise when his Secretary of State frantically shuttles back and forth in a futile attempt to keep those whose aim is organizing terror & delegitimisation, afloat. His latest leap into the realm of fantasy land is to announce that four billion dollars from who knows where poured into the bottomless coffers of the Palestinian Arab Authority will purchase peace in our time. The fact that billions of previous dollars have all disappeared into a big black hole without the cause of peace advancing one centimeter closer, seems to have escaped those in the State Department and White House who continue to hallucinate while realities explode on the ground throughout the entire region.
The recent Islamic terrorist outrage in London demonstrated more fantasia moments. The British political establishment went into contortions of denial in order to distance Islam from any connection, thus continuing to sweep inconvenient truths under the Persian carpet. The British media meanwhile headlined the event as terrorism but note that when similar outrages occur in Israel they avoid the term terror and describe it as an “incident”. Delusion on the part of politicians and deliberate confusion from the media.
Despite all logic to the contrary those afflicted with this fantasia dementia continue to peddle illusions and delusions which can only result in total confusion. Worse than that, their hallucinatory trips will result in more fatalities and broken families and the end result will bring us no closer to real peace than all the mad fantasies of the past.
It is up to the sane majority to make sure that realities rather than fantasies prevail.
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 works for The Israel Resource News Agency in Jerusalem.
I love the way you write, Michael Kuttner, and most of what you say. So clear-headed, succinct, direct and authoritative, although not aggressive. One thing, though, I’m not so sure the majority are sane. Your litany of fantasies is shocking to behold, shocking because what you say is true … and where does that leave us?! I do my best from Australia, as a writer and individual, to call it how it is, however not many wish to receive what the likes of you and I have to say.