New Zealand’s shameful charade…writes Michael Kuttner

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In a fitting finale to a year marked by international hypocrisy and double standards, Christmas and Chanukah are being celebrated by Christians and Jews in the very places where the original historical events took place.

Michael Kuttner’s genuine NZ lambswool beanie which he is usually proud to wear
and which attracts favourable comments. Given current circumstances he thinks
it is possibly not a good idea to wear it!!

Bethlehem in Judea and Jerusalem’s Temple Mount are at the very core of these religious celebrations. These obvious facts most certainly never entered the closed minds of the band of merry men who proposed, promoted and finally presented a resolution to the corrupt United Nations which denied a Jewish connection to the very places which have seen a Jewish presence for three thousand years or more.

I have never felt more ashamed to be associated with a country which so shamelessly peddled such unadulterated rubbish as did New Zealand on Friday. For the first time since arriving in Israel twenty five years ago I had the dubious task of fending off a barrage of outraged questions from friends and neighbours alike. Normally when people discover we originally come from New Zealand they burst out in admiration for a country so full of natural beauty and friendly citizens. Now, however, the only thing that they associate with the country is a blind obsession and an inability to acknowledge reality on the ground here.

This Shabbat I was bombarded by an endless number of friends puzzled by the actions of a country which seems to have ditched any semblance of even handedness and has instead embraced the revisionist lies peddled by a motley collection of politicians. No matter how many times I tried to explain that not all Kiwis had joined the bandwagon of Israel bashing and that there were still many who were appalled at what had transpired, the prevailing response was bewilderment at their seeming lack of ability or perhaps motivation to influence legislators to see sense.

Australia and NZ are often bracketed together as two countries whose common sense and determination to stand up for freedom and democracy are well proven. After all, the Anzacs were instrumental in liberating the Roman named Palestine from Ottoman Turkish despotic rule, not the fictitious Arab entity now being touted. This momentous event laid the foundations for the eventual creation of the Jewish State on territory from the Mediterranean to the Jordan River legally endorsed by the international community. Australia has more or less remained faithful to its aims while New Zealand has steadily regressed in the face of commercial and other interests.

New Zealand’s much vaunted and over rated moral foreign policy has been subverted when it comes to Israel by its eagerness to do business with the Islamic world. What better way to guarantee future lucrative trade deals with countries whose concepts of democracy and human rights is dubious at best and appalling at worst than to demonstrate an eagerness at joining the anti Israel pack in New York and Geneva? This explanation received an endorsement when an Auckland professor on Radio NZ stated that the NZ resolution would be good for business with Arab States. Apparently according to him a meat deal with Saudi Arabia was about to be signed. Although politicians will deny any connection those of us who are not stupid will be able to work out the logistics.

One is often judged by the company one keeps. Obviously Murray McCully has no shame in being a resolution co-sponsor with Venezuela, Malaysia and Senegal, none of them shining examples of human rights. In his manic desire to trumpet some sort of achievement after two years on the UNSC he has placed New Zealand in the midst of company which some years ago it would have avoided. Instead he is now being embraced by the likes of Hamas which is part of the corrupt and terror supporting Palestinian Authority. Here is what McCully’s new found friends had to say:

“Hamas appreciates the position of the countries that voted in the Security Council for the right of the Palestinian people on their land,” said spokesman Fawzi Barhoum. “We salute this important evolution in international positions,” he added, while calling for more actions to bring about “the end of the occupation.”

Michael Kuttner

No wonder I have an uphill task to explain to locals the rationale behind New Zealand’s advocacy at the UN. I also cannot explain the shameful silence of the NZ Prime Minister (retired and current) to this display of unmitigated idiocy. Now that McCully with Obama and Kerry’s assistance has managed to make a mark for himself he will be surely assured a cushy job with the UN as a reward.

What a shame that New Zealand has descended to such a sorry state of affairs.

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.