A shameful sham

It is increasingly pitiful to witness the antics of all those who now profess to hold the moral high ground but who were conspicuously silent when the Islamic Iranian regime suppressed and murdered its citizens.

Most of the mainstream media, in their frenetic frenzy to portray the ongoing campaign as doomed and illegal, use these individuals as convenient cannon fodder. The more self-anointed or designated so-called experts are quoted, the greater is the negative fallout. This, of course, is the object of the whole exercise.

Nobody should object of course to genuine expressions of doubt or criticism but when the same “enlightened” commentators are endlessly quoted as though their pontifications are “holy writ” then one can suspect something else at play.

Whether it is the ABC, RNZ, NZ Herald, CNN, BBC, or other usual suspects, the one-sided portrayal and presentation of the news, and the biased follow-up interviews, are entirely predictable. Once upon a time, the New Zealand media had its own representatives on-site in overseas locations, and one could expect at least a modicum of balanced reporting.

Those days are long gone.

Now, the media takes feeds from their favourite overseas sources, the vast majority of which follow a predictably leftist line, mostly hostile to Trump and with a definite animosity towards Israel and everything it strives to achieve.

When I see reports from this part of the world written by reporters who flit in and out of Israel or who only appear when there is a crisis, I know in advance that what they produce will be half-baked, full of innuendo-filled headlines, and dripping with misinformation. Quite often I wonder whether the reports published bare any relationship to actual facts on the ground.

Reporting on the Temple Mount, false designations of “occupied territories,” social tensions, and a myriad of other topics all follow a familiar pattern. For the average Kiwi or Australian who knows “zilch” about reality in Israel and whose historical knowledge is even more woeful, the biased bile that gets published just adds volumes to the already bottomless pit of ignorance.

Throw in the usual pronouncements by such exalted luminaries as “the elders” and the UN Secretary General, and you get a potpourri of reporting which clearly points in only one direction. This poisonous concoction is then reflected in the pathetic speeches made in Parliament by those whose knee-jerk anti-Israel ignorance is a given.

Take the example of former Prime Minister Helen Clark, a dedicated servant of the failed United Nations and standard bearer for the socialist left. Her advocacy for the oppressed and downtrodden of this world is no doubt genuine and heartfelt. Unfortunately, this admirable advocacy is sullied by a world outlook that believes that some victims are more deserving than others.

She sheds copious tears about the “poor” oppressed “Palestinians” being targeted by the evil Israelis, but her historical memory is either non-existent or selectively skewed. I have not seen her righteous indignation ignite over the ethnic cleansing of Jewish communities in Arab countries, where they had lived in some cases for over two thousand years. This event, which occurred in 1948, has raised nary a peep.

I have yet to hear her wax eloquently against the terror perpetrated by Arabs against Israel and the very many opportunities rejected by them to actually have their own country.

Her latest “tour de force” revolves around the current war to prevent Iran from attaining weapons of mass destruction, destroy Israel and continue to oppress its long-suffering citizens.

She is quoted as declaring that if she had been NZ Prime Minister, she would have had no hesitation in condemning the USA and Israel for their “unprovoked” attack. According to this enlightened “elder” the flagrant attempt to destroy the “world based order” is against international law. In addition, as no UN approval had been received, the USA and Israel were guilty of a double crime. She, like all the other leftist lemmings, continues to believe that “dialogue and diplomacy” is the only way to curb the criminal ambitions of Iran and protect human rights.

This naïve tunnel vision is given prominent media exposure. The two rebuttals of her “head in the sand” argument, one by an Iranian dissident and the other by a commentator, could not compete.

Just imagine for a moment if Helen Clark had been the NZ PM in 1939 at the outbreak of war with Nazi Germany. Since 1933, the League of Nations had been impotent in the face of German violations of international law. It had refused to face up to Germany’s targeting of Jews and their ultimate delegitimisation. After failed appeasement attempts the UK and France finally gave up and declared war as soon as Germany invaded Poland. No League of Nations approval was sought or received, and the League expired as a result of its own impotence. Tragically, millions of Jews and other victims were already sacrificed on the altar of international hypocrisy.

Six years of diplomacy and dialogue had failed to curb and thwart the genocidal ambitions of Germany and its allies.

Presumably, if Ms Clark had been PM at that time, she would have repeated the same nonsensical reasoning she now employs against the USA and Israel.

Like an echo from the disastrous past, today’s UN is an abject failure. Subverted by non democracies and rogue regimes, its Secretary General even sent a letter of congratulations to the late “supreme leader” on Iran’s anniversary of the 1979 revolution.

Thank goodness, back in 1939, the Labour Government was led by individuals not seduced by hallucinatory dogmas. Michael Josef Savage and Peter Fraser represented the sane left of NZ politics and therefore they had no hesitation in joining the UK as it decided to confront the greatest threat to world peace. In fact, Peter Fraser declared openly that he was a Zionist.

Contrast this with today’s pitiful performance by the Labour Party and its allies in the Greens and Maori Party.

It is excruciating to witness the mental and physical contortions of the Government in the UK, where the ruling Labour Party and its PM have managed to upset their left-wing members and at the same time make the UK an international laughing stock.

Instead of a robust endorsement of a strong response to continual Iranian threats and violations of human rights, Sir Keir Starmer tried unsuccessfully to placate his lunatic left wing. In the process he managed to upset Trump who contrasted his waffle with Churchill’s forthright defence of democracy. His slavish and servile assertion that only capitulation to an appeasement formula would bring “peace” is pathetic.

The extent of his spineless capitulation and exposure of the UK’s collapse as a force to be reckoned with would soon follow.

With great fanfare, it was announced that the UK’s only warship capable of intercepting missiles would be immediately dispatched to Cyprus. This former British colony, which is now partly illegally occupied by Turkey, hosts a British military base. The Iranians, therefore, have targeted it and fired off drones and missiles.

Failing to explain why the UK had not already reinforced its base, he also failed to convince anybody that, in actual fact, what was being proposed would make any difference. Speaking to a Muslim gathering prior to the end of a Ramadan meal, Starmer made a point of emphasising that “his Government had not joined the US and Israel in their unprovoked attack on Iran.” This produced a desired round of applause and no doubt established the UK’s credentials as a cheerleader for international inaction and double standards.

Unfortunately, the farce did not end there because worse was to come.

On 2 March, it was announced that HMS Dragon would be urgently dispatched to support the Cypriots. Apparently, what was not at first explained was that this vessel of the Royal Navy needed to be resupplied and made seaworthy. In a stunning revelation of how far the UK has sunk in its ability to defend itself and any allies, this vessel remained tied up. It transpires that the workers contracted to do the job only work between nine and five, this being a stipulation issued by the union concerned. Finally, on 10 March, the destroyer set sail for the eastern Mediterranean.

Despite all sorts of political “running for cover” and declarations of determined intent, the fact remains that if the Cypriots expect any sort of meaningful help in repelling Iranian aggression, they will, in all likelihood, be waiting in vain.

In further humiliation for the UK, France and Germany have sent naval support.

Proving that hypocrisy has no limits, Turkey, which illegally occupies north Cyprus, has also sent a naval vessel to “safeguard its citizens.” This farce obviously does not faze either the UK or NATO, which turns a blind eye to yet another display of Erdoğan’s blatant bias.

Once upon a time, Britannia ruled the waves. These days, it cannot even defend either itself or its allies.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is no doubt watching and waiting, confident that given enough time the UN and its corrupt members will ride to their rescue and once again snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

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.