Faulty Follies

As a long time fan of Fawlty Towers and the Life of Brian satirical series I was looking forward to the impending Israel visit of John Cleese.

We had tickets for his originally scheduled show, which was then scuttled by the outbreak of the Iran war and subsequent missile barrages.

His rescheduled appearances in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem were sold out, and the stage was set for memorable evenings of vintage British wit. It was set to be a great night out with Israelis of Anglo background. Interestingly, I also heard of some sabras who were going to be there. Presumably, they were familiar with the subtle and not-so-subtle British satire, which was such a prominent feature of John Cleese’s acts.

It was therefore like a bolt out of the blue when, for the second time, it was announced that Cleese would not be coming to Israel and that all his booked performances had been cancelled.

The reason for this cancellation, according to the promoter’s announcement, which was subsequently confirmed by Cleese himself, was “security.”

Strangely, there has been no clarification as to exactly what threats have compromised security, causing this visit to be cancelled.

The war against Iran has ceased.

There is a so-called ceasefire in Gaza.

No missile barrages from Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran or the Houthis are occurring.

What exactly constitutes a security risk has not been explained.

If it is suggested that Cleese could be in physical danger by visiting Israel, I would submit that he is more at risk of personal injury on the streets of London, Birmingham and Manchester.

He has adamantly asserted that his Israeli performances are “postponed” rather than “cancelled.”

As the mystery deepened, Basil’s (alias John Cleese) social media comments surfaced, offering a clue to the real reason for his sudden cancellation.

It seems that he, like many others, has become infected by the rapidly spreading virus of Zionist/Israel dysfunctional syndrome.

Less than a month after the 7 October 2023 pogrom, he posted this comment: “don’t ask me to take sides between Hamas and the Israeli Government.” Don’t mention the war, especially the worst massacre of Jews since the Shoah, seems to have been his reaction. Anyone who, after that horrendous event, didn’t feel able to “take sides” must be morally unbalanced.

He referred on Oct. 29, 2023, to the Jewish state having the “most right-wing ‘government’ in Israeli history,” which is “kept in power by tiny groups of Judaic fundamentalists” and Hamas as “equally fanatical terrorists.”

After these revelations, Cleese frantically tried to backpedal.

He claimed that his Israel visit was only “postponed” not cancelled and that he would be willing to perform free of charge in the future. His assertion that he was “hugely fond of Israelis” and loves Israeli audiences reminds me of those boycotters who maintain that “some of their best friends are Jews.” Apparently, it’s only the “Judaic Zionists” who are beyond the pale.

It seems evident that the excuse of “security” refers to threats emanating from BDS supporters, which, despite denials, was a factor in his pulling out from performing in Israel. He won’t be coming back anytime soon, if at all.

Meanwhile, more faulty follies abound.

President Macron once again hosted the President for life of the PA, Abbas, in Paris.

This time, he described him as “a prince of peace.”

I know that we are getting close to Christmas, but this accolade is stretching reality fairly thin. However, given the adoration showered upon him by the “wise men” of the EU and the UN, one can expect the collective international chorus to burst into one of the most famous lines from the “Life of Brian.”

HE’S THE MESSIAH!!!!

The Pope has already given him his blessing as a peacemaker.

In today’s cockeyed world, anything is possible.

In this vein, consider the following developments.

A statement issued by the US, Qatar, Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan and Turkey stated that the Gaza peace plan is the only sincere path to Palestinian statehood and regional stability.

On the heels of this hallucinatory vision is a report that Hamas is stockpiling weapons in various sympathetic countries for future use against Israel. Concurrently, it seems that the US is “wobbling” on disarming and dismantling Hamas. According to Trump’s envoy, Witkoff, a Hamas official told him that the terror group “would disarm.”

If all this sounds like an episode of Fawlty Towers or the “Life of Brian”, you would be correct in your assumption.

If you are still searching for some sanity among a sea of international irrationality, this next piece of news will not help in the slightest.

The Australian Ambassador to Israel recently addressed a gathering in Israel. He touched on the dramatic rise of anti-Jewish hate and incitement in Australia.

According to him, this hate was “linked to growing objections to Israel’s policies which are widely shared. Sadly there is antisemitism but one cannot place the blame on the country’s Muslim community. We hope that now the war is over, calmness can prevail and that Australians – all Australians, including the Jewish community can enjoy the right to worship, gather and celebrate in dignity.”

Noble sentiments indeed, but they are indicative of how large sections of the rest of the world misrepresent the tsunami of incitement now raging against Israel and Jews worldwide.

The anti-Zionist haters couldn’t care less that the missiles have stopped flying and a temporary ceasefire with Hamas is in place. The hate slogans shouted by the demonstrators and university ignoramuses have very little to do with “Palestinians” who are suffering under the brutal regime of terror groups.

All these various individuals and groups unite with jihadists in advocating the elimination of Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish People. Their sole and main agenda is the disappearance of the “Zionist entity.” That is why the absence of actual conflict will not diminish in any way the level of hate against Jews in the Diaspora.

Neo Nazis and their ultra-right-wing colleagues will still peddle their conspiracy theories and other hate libels regardless of any developments in the Middle East. Holocaust denial and revisionist histories are gaining larger adherents as time passes.

Media, social and mainstream alike, are generating ever greater incitement and disinformation, which in turn targets Jews.

The Muslim community in Australia now represents more than 3% of the population and is Australia’s second largest religious group after Christianity. Even if only a minority are jihadist followers, their demographic increase, combined with the radicalisation of a generation inculcated with lies about Jews, guarantees a fraught future.

What is true for Australia is the same for Europe, Scandinavia, the UK, the USA, Canada, South America, South Africa and even NZ.

Political cowardice in the face of these threats will embolden those threatening Jewish communities. Empty rhetoric by politicians will not stem the tide.

Hatred of Jews is an incurable and endemic condition.

A commentary I read last week for Shabbat “Chaye Sarah” summed it up perfectly.

“Abraham said I am a foreigner albeit a resident.” This is a rich description of the persistent state of the Jews – we are never fully at home in exile, we are always foreigners, even in our home country.

We have a choice of passive submission as in the failed past or determined and unapologetic proactive action.

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.