Unprincipled
Definition: Someone lacking moral principles. Synonyms: Dishonest, corrupt, immoral, unscrupulous, devious, unethical, deceitful, underhand, dishonourable.
Michael Kuttner
Take your pick and apply it to any number of local and international political leaders. There is no shortage of candidates who qualify and yet still manage to rule the roost.
Amazingly, these proponents of unprincipled politics and diplomacy are able to get away with their actions, and in a depressingly proportion of cases, they actually convince far too many of the righteousness of their cause.
Examples abound, so it is very difficult to sort out the worst offenders.
Two of the biggest recent exponents of immoral duplicity must surely be President for life of the PA, Abbas, and President Putin of Russia. Both these “democratically” elected leaders have had plenty of practice successfully duping the international community for many years. Without a doubt, their recent “love fest” must qualify as one of the best efforts at pulling the wool over the eyes of a willing media and unprincipled political leaders.
Apparently, Abbas has no domestic problems to attend to because it seems that almost every Monday and Thursday, he is popping up in some foreign destination and hobnobbing with anyone who will listen to his torrents of lies against Israel.
His recent meeting with Putin must go down as one of his better efforts. It is said that birds of a feather flock together, and this was certainly the case.
According to media reports issued after their meeting, it could be likened to a gathering of a mutual admiration society. The PA President for life showered the Russian President with expressions of love and support while at the same time dishing dirt to the Americans and repeating his usual slanders against Israel. Like an old record, he again accused Israel of targeting Christian and Muslim holy sites and laying siege to innocent Palestinian Arabs. He can repeat these baseless accusations because he knows that his listeners will applaud and ensure that Israel gets condemned.
Unsurprisingly, Putin gave his seal of approval to these expressions of “peace and tolerance.” The best part, however, was when Putin stated that Russia’s support of the Palestinians was “a matter of principle.”
I suppose one could describe this accolade as being “from Russia with love.”
Neither of these two Presidents would know what principles were if faced with a challenge to actually face the truth. This current mutual embrace reminds one of the heady days of the old Soviet Union when Moscow supported each and every outrageous terror act perpetrated on behalf of the late unlamented Arafat. Abbas was Arafat’s devoted disciple so it is no surprise that history keeps repeating itself.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the ocean, in Washington, where Middle East realities dissolve into muddled mirages, the White House issued one of its pearls of wisdom. Reacting to Abbas spitting in America’s face the Biden Administration commented that it was “disappointed” in the fact that Abbas no longer trusts it.
Fancy that.
They are disappointed and not outraged. Even after this latest insult by the PA President the funds keep being transferred and the same old discredited delusion of a two state solution on the 1947 armistice lines keeps getting peddled.
It seems that despite every available evidence, in words and deeds, the terror groups constituting the PLO, Hamas and the PA can literally get away with murder and the vilest rhetoric. They can hug the most obvious exponents of repression and the worst that can befall them will be expressions of disappointment.
If that is not a perversion of principles, I do not know what is.
Just when you thought that unprincipled policies could not sink any lower, the Australian Government came along to prove everyone wrong. Like a thief in the middle of the night, the Australian Government reversed the existing policy of recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Was the decision to do so without advising Israel a deliberate act?
Did Canberra specifically choose Simchat Torah as the most opportune time to make its move?
If the Guardian newspaper had not noticed a change in wording on the website, how long would it have taken for the Australian Foreign Minister to own up? As it was, she first denied anything had changed and then got caught out.
Israeli spokespersons and Australian Jewish leaders expressed shock, horror, surprise and outrage at this seemingly duplicitous reversal of policy. However, they should have seen this coming a long time ago but unfortunately, refusal to acknowledge reality made them oblivious to the inevitable.
A closer look at the situation reveals the salient truths.
The previous coalition’s so-called recognition of Jerusalem was an exercise of smoke and mirrors. It merely stated that WEST Jerusalem was Israel’s Capital which by default, nudge, nudge, wink, wink, meant that they could have a bob each way and still maintain that the Old City and the rest of Jerusalem could still be the capital of a mythical Palestinian State. It was as useless as stating that half of Canberra was Australia’s Capital while leaving the rest of the city open to internationalization.
To make the situation even more farcical, despite asserting that West Jerusalem was indeed the capital, the Morrison Government refused to shift its Embassy from Tel Aviv. If they had really been serious that is what they should have done, following the American example. This proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the whole exercise was a political charade.
Further proof that this pareve recognition was, in reality, fake is evidenced by the fact that the current leadership of the Liberal Party refused to commit themselves for future policy statements on the subject.
The plain fact is that Labor Party policy has clearly stated that Jerusalem’s fate is to be decided in peace negotiations which as we all should know by now is pie in the sky. The next step will no doubt be recognition of a terror-supporting State of Palestine. This move would please three important constituencies, namely the left wing of the Labor Party, the Greens and the growing number of Muslim voters.
Australian Jewish machers need to face a politically incorrect situation.
Growing Judeophobia fueled by a combination of appalling ignorance, media-induced disinformation and groups infected with anti Israel poison all point to further retreats from the current “friendly” policies.
Watch future UN and related voting patterns and you will soon see which way the winds are blowing.
Who needs principles when expediency rules?
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.
