What have gestures ever done for us?…asks Michael Kuttner

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One of the unforgettable lines from the hit film, “The Life of Brian” had one of the characters demanding to know “what have the Romans ever done for us?”

Michael Kuttner

This line came to mind as soon as I heard reports that the Israeli Prime Minister was going to offer more gestures to those inciting mayhem and murder against us. It remains to be seen whether these rumours are just trial balloons or whether they herald yet another fruitless flight into fantasy. It is therefore important to remind ourselves exactly what past gestures have indeed done for us and then to draw the necessary conclusions as to whether we can afford another round of fatal and futile moves designed to garner us elusive international approval.

Two States for two people living in peace with each other:

This vision of a new Middle East whose proponents envisage democratic, liberal, human rights upholding Arab States espousing religious freedom and rights for all has long ago been massacred. The carnage and barbarity which is the hallmark of today’s jihadist extremists in most Arab and Moslem countries is a clear warning to all those still touting the creation of yet another such State in the midst of Israel’s heartland. Those not blinded by hallucinatory myths cannot fail to recognize the fatal flaw in sponsoring the current corrupt Abbas led Authority, led by someone whose term of office expired many years ago and who sanctions the biggest libels against Israel and Jews. Handing over strategic territory overlooking our international airport, controlling our water aquifers and within spitting distance of major population centers is fatal enough. To imagine for one insane moment that those who have crawled into bed with Hamas and other Jew hating groups can be designated as peace partners and handed gestures which will imperil all of us, is the height of absurdity. Abbas does not control Gaza and therefore what proponents of a two State solution are really pushing is a 3 State solution.

After countless such gestures in the recent past and after rejection in each and every case, the time has arrived to say enough already. The Palestinian Arab State already exists and it’s called Jordan.

Temple Mount:

This is Judaism’s holiest site, a fact usually glossed over and misrepresented by the media and politicians alike. During the years of illegal occupation by Jordan, Jews were prevented from visiting it and in effect were ethnically cleansed from the entire eastern part of the city. The rest of the world could not have cared less. Neither Churches nor the UN lost any sleep over this denial of religious freedom because after all let’s face it, only Jews were the targets.

In 1967 after the illegal occupiers were defeated, Israel in a gesture of misguided folly returned administration of the Mount to the Islamic religious authorities. Expecting those who had previously barred Jews from visiting to suddenly transform into enlightened liberals was as loony as one can get. Thus it has transpired to this very day. You would not be startled to learn that the latest demand is that Israel reverts to a pre 1967 Jew cleansing non presence on the Mount and even a pre 1948 ban on Jews praying at the Kotel (Western Wall) which is now claimed as an exclusive Moslem holy site.

Checkpoints:

These exist precisely because Islamic terrorists, men, women and even teenagers as young as 11 and 12 are so brainwashed that their sole burning desire is to murder Jews by whatever means possible. Past gestures in dismantling some of them have merely resulted in surges of terror.

Building freezes:

Denying permits for Jews to build houses was supposed to garner international sympathy and spur our misnamed peace partners into entering serious negotiations for an end to the conflict. The only people totally flummoxed by the refusal of those dedicated to our demise refusing to reciprocate this gesture are hallucinatory politicians and those befuddled by reality.

Prisoner releases:

Terrorists incarcerated in Israeli jails have been released in past gestures which were intended to either secure the release of dead and kidnapped Israelis or generate warm feelings of gratitude on the part of Abbas and colleagues which in turn would lead to peace and brotherhood. The folly of these prisoner releases can be seen in the fact that after receiving heroes welcome back in the PTA, the released murderers very quickly resumed their work. Likewise, in a futile gesture of misplaced madness, Israel is currently handing back the bodies of those terrorists eliminated while carrying out their life’s mission. Needless to say these funerals then turn into a frenzy of orgiastic adulation of innocent martyrs, “executed by the Zionist criminals” and serve to brainwash more into the ranks of jihadist Jew killers.

Funding:

The PTA owes millions of shekels to Israel for the provision of electricity, water and health care in our hospitals. Instead of conditioning the transfer of collected taxes on behalf of the PTA to a full payment of outstanding debts and a cessation of paying pensions to terrorists and their families, we just pay up regardless. Needless to say our adversaries laugh at this misguided and naïve behaviour.

Land for peace:

Every piece of land we have vacated as a gesture has turned into terror territory. Sinai today is infested with Islamic terror groups which target not only Israel but also Egypt. South Lebanon which was supposed to be demilitarized by the UN is now bristling with terrorists and hundreds of thousands of rockets. Gaza which could have become the Singapore of the Middle East is now a bastion of barbaric jihadist groups. It is absolutely mind-boggling that despite this dismal record and given the current hateful realities emanating from Ramallah, there are still many who demand we hand over strategic and historically legal pieces of our land to those whose ambition is to destroy us.

What have gestures ever done for us? They have caused untold misery to thousands of Israelis and they have emboldened Palestinian Arabs and their supporters to scent victory if only they keep delegitimising and murdering. Why make peace and reconcile yourselves to a legitimate Jewish presence and history if you can continue to harness the hypocrisy and double standards of the rest of the world into pressuring Israel to make even more deadly gestures?

In an exquisite sort of supreme irony, the European Union announced on the anniversary of Kristallnacht the implementation of labeling food and goods manufactured in Judea, Samaria, half of our Capital and the Golan. Whether intentionally or as a result of complete ignorance the EU has started down the same path of delegitimisation which culminated in that 1938 pogrom in Germany. These are the sort of gestures which remind us that nothing much changes when it comes to one-sided hypocrisy and Judeophobic tendencies.

One would have thought that by now those advocating more gestures from us would have seen the inevitable disastrous consequences. Liberal leftists lecture us that “one makes peace with one’s enemies.” They are wrong. One does not make peace with enemies dedicated to your demise. One makes peace with FORMER enemies who have been made to see the futility of their folly.

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.