Stormy times ahead

Extreme weather events such as droughts, tornadoes, hurricanes, cyclones, torrential rain, combined with intense cold or soaring temperatures, seem to be increasing worldwide.

Concurrently, extreme outbursts of enmity against Jews and Israel are now a standard feature of the global scene.

As we farewell 2025 and welcome a new civil year, the burning question remains as to what the next twelve months will portend.

Predicting the future is fraught with uncertainty, and one would be foolhardy to try. However, certain trends are entirely predictable.

Although we pray for peace, the one sure thing is that 2026 will definitely not usher in an era of tranquillity and tolerance. We can bury our heads in the sand, remain in blissful denial and try to remain invisible. None of these tactics will work. Unfortunately, the Jew hate genie has escaped, and the virus of Zionist and Israel demonisation will be mutating with increasing virulence.

Remaining realistic rather than being seduced by mirages that vanish is more necessary than ever.

The outgoing year was notable for its torrent of false rhetoric and inciting accusations. It saw politicians pontificate the most disgusting hypocrisy and then express amazement when their actions precipitated horrendous results. It witnessed these same individuals shed crocodile tears at memorial gatherings for murdered Jews, while at the same time, they enacted policies that endangered Jewish communities.

A collective lemming-like rush to recognise a fake Palestine whose President has long ago exceeded his use-by date was emblematic of a year corrupted by false narratives and a stubborn refusal to call out jihadist terror.

The surge in worldwide Jew and Israel/Zionist hate culminated in the pogrom in Bondi. Despite warnings by security experts, law enforcement authorities proved too lax.

As I write these lines, it has been revealed that warnings are rife that the UK faces a dire terror threat from the very forces which authorities refuse to name and acknowledge.

It is this fear of naming and shaming that guarantees that the terrorists will strike again and again as the world transitions into a new year. Those plotting terror know that vulnerabilities are there to be exploited. They remain confident that spineless politicians and weak-kneed appeasers can always be relied upon to fudge culpability.

The incoming year will undoubtedly witness increased threats against Jewish communities in all parts of the Diaspora. The rise of resurrected neo Nazi groups and fellow travellers, including so-called “influencers”, is an increasing threat. Their appeal to generations of youngsters totally ignorant of history and increasingly frustrated by political and economic chaos presents a menacing challenge. The collateral anti-Israel rhetoric falls on fertile ground and will become increasingly toxic as the years progress.

An unholy alliance is now developing between those who want to save the environment and those who wish to eradicate any Jewish sovereignty. This Green–Islamic convergence, together with support from groups denying any Jewish indigenous claim to Israel, is a looming and dangerous threat.

It has already made itself felt in democracies where left-wing party haters of Israel are in coalitions. It will become an increasing danger as elections are scheduled in 2026 and the following years. One does not need to be a prophet to foresee which way the wind will be blowing when such coalitions are elected.

These developments are eagerly embraced by terror groups because they know that the default positions will always be to their advantage.

In NSW, the State Government is looking at the possibility of using the armed forces to protect Jewish communal buildings such as schools and synagogues. We know which groups are threatening violence and terror, yet getting some political leaders to actually spell it out is almost impossible. Mass demonstrations by Jews are not paralysing city centres every weekend. Mosques and Islamic schools do not have to be guarded by armed police. Rabbis are not delivering weekly sermons urging their congregants to engage in holy wars and kill “infidels.”

It is the fear of retribution by those who do utter such rallying cries that encourages the jihadists.

An utter failure to stem illegal infiltration of borders, a hitherto absence of security checks and an inability to deport known threats have resulted in many countries now playing host to looming terror groups. In fact, the viability of some nations, especially in Europe, is becoming more precarious, and the situation of Jews is increasingly untenable.

A majority of UK Jews already doubt their long-term future there, and the omens in the USA are far from optimistic. As the year progresses, the question of whether to pack suitcases and make alternative plans will become more probable.

Where does 2026 leave Israel and those who identify as Zionists?

Without a shadow of a doubt, the outlook is stark and murky.

The United Nations, which condemns Israel every Monday and Thursday, will increase its enmity. This organisation is irredeemably corrupted and tainted with incurable bias, and it should only be a matter of time before Israel decides to abandon its futile membership.

The cold peace with Egypt and Jordan will get even colder as the demonisation of Israel infects more citizens of those countries.

The Abraham Accords may attract a few additional Muslim nations who recognise that Israel is not the devil fanatics portray.

On the other hand, the jihadist inciters will redouble their efforts to spread murder and mayhem. Iran, unless physically deterred, will aim to complete its programmes of genocidal capabilities. Reports are already circulating that intensive efforts are being made to enhance missiles and proceed with the development of non-conventional weapons systems. The rotten fruits of American pressure to abort military action are in the process of being harvested. Iran’s terror tentacles will spread ever further while the international community wastes precious time in futile negotiations.

The best outcome would be regime change and the restoration of an age-old friendship between Persians and Jews. It is only a matter of time before the illegal Islamic occupiers of Iran are consigned to the dustbin of history.

Hamas is regrouping thanks to a US-led premature abortion of the campaign to decimate them. Hezbollah in Lebanon are making a mockery of Lebanese Government impotency and international cluelessness.

Aliyah will increase from Western democracies as the scourge of Jew hate spreads. At the same time, many Israelis, predominantly secular and left-wing, will leave Israel and head to the illusory safer havens of Germany, Ireland, the UK, the USA and even “down under.”

The scandal of Israeli Charedi avoidance of military or community service will magnify. Continuing pressure to end this disgraceful situation will increase. It should all come to a head after elections scheduled for no later than October 2026.

It is notoriously difficult to predict election outcomes in Israel, but all indications are that change may be on the cards. Five minutes is a long time in Israel’s political dramas, so any dramatic developments can very well upset the poll predictions.

Will the increasingly virulent and violent delegitimisation of Zionism have a negative impact? How will it affect supporters of the restored Jewish national homeland? Will Diaspora Jews retreat into their underground bunkers and hope that the winds of hate might abate? Will Christians who support the return to Zion wilt in the face of increased venom?

These are questions that we will all face in the coming twelve months.

Increasing assimilation and galloping ignorance, combined with deficits in Jewish education, may result in a Jewish generation detached from communal solidarity. These are urgent challenges facing Jewish communal leadership everywhere.

As Christians become more vulnerable to revisionist versions of history and targets of Islamic pressure, will they succeed in withstanding ancient hates or will ancient libels once again rise to the surface?

The outlook seems bleak, but reality demands that we face facts instead of succumbing to illusory mirages.

Jews have been down this road many times previously and have outlived all those who plotted their demise.

We have restored Jewish sovereignty, and it is our task to ensure that this time we safeguard its future.

The task may seem insurmountable, but we have a proven roadmap that promises victory.

In the immortal words made famous by the late Sir Harry Lauder:

“Keep right on to the end of the road.”

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.