Worthless words versus resolute resolve

Worthless dialogue, diplomatic fudging and unattainable guarantees were never going to prevent the Iranian regime from acquiring weapons of mass destruction.

One only has to look at North Korea to see how “successful” this scenario was likely to be in the long run as far as Iran is concerned. A multitude of Presidents spanning several past administrations issued solemn pledges that this rogue nation would never be allowed to acquire nuclear capability and weapons.

Does this sound familiar?

All these worthless expressions of intent merely indicated that not one President was serious in thwarting the looming threats. The dictator of North Korea quite rightly assumed that the barrage of rhetoric and lack of concrete action by the USA signalled a reluctance to act in any meaningful manner. Sanctions were circumvented with the help of the Chinese and Russians as feverish work progressed on acquiring nuclear capabilities.

The lack of any sort of concerted action by the US and its purported allies gave a green light to North Korea.

The end result, as we can all see now, is that not only has North Korea attained nuclear status, but it also has developed the means to deliver these weapons via missiles. It proudly advertises its achievements with the building of new weapons, submarines and space technology.

Moreover, it threatens its neighbours, allies itself with other terror-supporting nations and vows death and destruction against any country that dares to thwart its ambitions.

What have the US and other democracies done to challenge this menace?

They have done absolutely nothing. Either they have remained conspicuously silent in fear of upsetting anyone or they have pretended that UN resolutions and rhetoric will preserve peace.

None of these non-actions, of course, will deter the North Koreans and prevent them from blackmailing their way towards intimidating others.

One has only to remember the appeasement rhetoric of the 1930s and lack of determined action to confront Nazi terror ambitions to realize that the same failed path is being followed today.

Since the Iranian Islamic revolution, the Mullahs and the Supreme Leader have made their intentions crystal clear. Nothing short of the complete elimination of the “evil and illegal Zionist entity” is their aim.

Like the Nazis before them they have made no secret of their agenda.  Mein Kampf was ridiculed and ignored and the Nazi plan to eliminate Jews was dismissed as empty words.

Likewise, the speeches and intentions of Iranian Government officials have been dismissed as bombastic nonsense and thus could also be safely ignored.

The whistleblowers who warned about Hitler’s ambitions were denounced as war mongers and sidelined.

Israel’s Prime Minister and others who have, over many years, warned about the evil intentions of the Iranian regime have similarly been written off as deliberate liars who cannot be trusted.

U.S. presidents and a succession of EU and other representatives of democratic countries have preferred meaningless speeches instead of meaningful action. Sweeping the looming disaster under the Persian carpet has been the preferred course of non-action. After every indication that Iran was advancing its nuclear acquisition abilities, the world shrugged and preferred instead to bash Israel.

The IAEA became a pawn of Iranian deceit and deception, and its occasional feeble warnings were ridiculed. Even when inspectors were expelled from Iran and denied access, the international community pretended all was in order

Not upsetting the Mullahs became the standard fallback position. Shades of past appeasement policies became glaringly obvious.

Iran advanced ever more rapidly towards its goals, buoyed by the belief that the rest of the world preferred to look in the other direction. In addition, the sight of the UN and the international community, including Australia and New Zealand, condemning and sanctioning Israel every Monday and Thursday filled it with great confidence.

The Holocaust occurred because the democracies failed to deter genocide, and even when it stared them in the face, their reluctance to aid Jews prevailed. With Israel being lined up for international pariah status the Iranian regime sensed a perfect looming opportunity.

When the Governments of Australia and New Zealand shamefully clambered aboard the sanctions bandwagon launched by Starmer, Carney and Macron, there must have been great rejoicing in Tehran. The sight of two Israeli Cabinet Ministers being ostracised for articulating uncomfortable thoughts was like manna from heaven.

Banning Jewish Israelis from Australia was the icing on the cake and proof that the delegitimising campaign was succeeding.

When Israel alerted so-called friendly countries about Iran’s final rush to the nuclear bomb and its ability to deliver them, the warnings were ignored. “We see nothing and hear nothing, therefore there is no need to do anything other than pontificate” became the standard stance.

No wonder the Iranian leadership became more confident with every passing day, believing that the moment they could destroy Israel with impunity was fast approaching.

The one huge difference between the past and today is the refusal of the Jewish State to be sacrificed on the altar of the world’s hypocrisy. “Never again” has taken on an added meaning in light of current developments.

Israel finally acted in the face of a mass surrender by democratic countries, which ignored proof that Iran was on the verge of a nuclear breakout. The collective international gasp of shock was predictable as were the torrent of condemnations by the usual suspects.

Nobody is under any illusion that decades of deliberate Iranian deception can be successfully decapitated and demolished in a hurry. The regime will not give up easily and its ability to inflict pain, damage and confusion is unlimited. Its hope is that as in the past the rest of the world will ride to its rescue and force Israel to leave the job half undone. It relies on its allies, China and Russia, to provide moral and practical support and for the weak-kneed democracies to exert pressure against Israel.

Those hoping for “deals” which would reward Iran and enable it to keep planning future genocide against Israel are hard at work.

Following the decapitation of Hezbollah, the weakening of Hamas and the overthrow of Assad in Syria, the prospects of those “cavalries” riding to the rescue are eliminated.

Endless streams of unsolicited advice keep flowing from clueless politicians who still do not want to acknowledge certain realities and try to have a “bet each way.” These shameful acts of moral equivalence merely illustrate the utter futility of trying to defeat evil with words instead of deeds.

Australia’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister are perfect examples of ideologically warped politicians who think that the likes of an Iranian terror regime can be engaged in some sort of dialogue. Their obsessive belief that the supreme leader can be trusted to adhere to any sort of guarantee places them in the same category as Neville Chamberlain, who believed every word uttered by Hitler.

Disappointingly, the NZ Government has followed a similar line. Listening to the Foreign Minister desperately trying to perform a verbal juggling act was a painful and embarrassing experience. His insistence on diplomacy being the only way to curb Iranian nuclear ambitions is pathetically naïve. Even worse, however, was his claim that Hamas terror is as repugnant as Israel’s rejection of a two-state solution and Israel’s supposed “occupation of Palestinian territories.”

The historical fact that Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem are in no way “Palestinian” has never sunk into the closed minds of those babbling such claims. Endeavouring unsuccessfully to show that Iran, Hamas and Israel are all equally guilty of crimes has been the disgusting policy of morally bankrupt politicians for a long time. It is straight out of the UN playbook, which NZ and now Australia faithfully follow like sheep as they vote to condemn Israel on every occasion.

The latest pronouncement of the NZFM urging all Kiwis in Israel to flee as quickly as possible is farcical, given the fact that no practical assistance is forthcoming. The airport is closed, and leaving via Jordan and Egypt is dangerous. Even more ludicrous is the fact that the NZ Ambassador is ensconced in Turkey.

Obviously, maintaining an NZ Embassy in Tehran is considered preferable to having an Embassy in Israel. It’s not hard to see which way the wind is blowing from Wellington.

Out of touch and clueless seems to be the standard fallback position of all those who believe that dictatorial thuggish regimes can be reasoned with and trusted.

We still do not know what the end result of the current campaign will be, but if it defangs the Iranian nuclear threat and even better starts a regime change for the better, Israel should be thanked, not condemned.

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.