Revelations

According to the dictionary definition, “revelations” are the act of making something known that was secret or a fact that is made known…writes Michael Kuttner.

Israel can generally be guaranteed to feature in most revelations which come to light almost on a daily basis. Whether positive or negative the old adage that “Jews is news” holds true. Here for your elucidation are some revelations which recently surfaced and may or may not have featured in your local media.

The diatribe against Israel made by an Iranian diplomat to New Zealand and an Imam in an Auckland Mosque took place in June but only came to light in October. Obviously many people must have known about this at the time and one wonders why the local media usually so assiduous in publishing negative news about Israel remained conspicuously mute. Likewise it is somewhat incredible to hear the current Opposition spokesperson berating the present Government for non-action when he had successfully ignored the event for five months.

The hate speeches concerned contained nothing new in that they followed the usual pattern of defamatory lies and threats against the very legitimacy and existence of the Jewish State. The fact that a diplomat accredited to New Zealand could indulge in such hate speech without suffering any consequences speaks volumes about the double standards practiced. In addition we have to wonder how many more such inciting speeches and sermons are taking place in Mosques around the country.

The NZ Jewish Community protested, some newspapers wrote shocked editorials and letters were written to the media and politicians alike. What has been the result?

According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs & Trade he expressed “disappointment” and thereafter the affair has sunk without trace. That apparently is what passes these days for tough action against those who advocate the destruction of a fellow United Nations member.

The next cover up to see the light of day could be classified as a real right royal stuff up. Somehow a letter written by the Prince of Wales to a friend back in 1986 surfaced and what a revelation that proved to be. After having visited the Gulf States and obviously exposed to revisionist lies about Israel the heir to the Throne repeated them in his letter. In expressions which would have delighted many in the Foreign Office he declared that “the influx of foreign European Jews” to Israel was the reason for fueling the Arab-Israel conflict and lamented the fact that “US Presidents were unwilling to take on the American Jewish Lobby.” He also stated that he now had a much better understanding of the situation.

The resultant scramble to clean up the “egg on face” fallout merely illustrated the endemic hostility embedded amongst the higher echelons of the aristocracy and chattering classes in the United Kingdom. For those whose grasp of Britain’s past duplicitous behavior towards the re-establishment of Jewish sovereignty is remembered, despite the promises of the Balfour Declaration, this episode is not a surprise. Perhaps it helps to explain why no official Royal visit to Israel has ever taken place and never will.

Media distortions continue apace. It’s amazing how history can be so easily rewritten. Before the advent of media watch groups those disseminating such falsehoods could be guaranteed to escape detection. These days thank goodness this is not the case.
One of the latest efforts was revealed by Honest Reporting and not surprisingly involved the BBC.

The BBC Travel website contained a glaring distortion:

In actual fact by the year 6 CE Caesarea was the capital of the Roman Province of JUDEA as was NOT known as Roman Palestine or Palestine. As Honest Reporting points out it was only in the year 135 CE after the suppression of the Bar Kochba revolt that the Romans changed the name of the province to “Syria Palaestina.

Who were the “NATIVE” people who revolted against Roman rule? They were of course JEWS.

In the space of one paragraph the BBC managed to eliminate both Jews and Judea resulting in the uninformed once again assuming that Jews never lived there and that today’s misnamed Palestinians are the indigenous inhabitants. Thanks to Honest Reporting and other such groups what once could be successfully hidden can now be revealed and rebutted.

Polish Independence Day was this year celebrated by huge parades and Government supported demonstrations of national pride. The only problem is that these expressions of Polish pride included masses shouting for the expulsion of Jews and their exclusion from Polish society. Although some reacted in horror at this open manifestation of traditional Polish attitudes towards Jews the fact is that the genie is once again out of the bottle and the message is clear. Those who mistakenly believe that it is possible to resurrect a vibrant Jewish life again in Poland and spend millions in the process are heading for a rude shock. As the forces of hatred and xenophobia are revealed and grow once again on soil soaked in Jewish blood it’s time to come home to the real Jewish home.

The final revelation is an historical irony. Seventy two years after Germany’s defeat and surrender the Luftwaffe is flying in the sky over Israel. As part of an air force exercise involving many nations taking place in the Negev the German air force is training with the IAF. The last time German planes displaying the iron cross flew here was during the First World War when the Luftwaffe supported their Ottoman allies in Palestine. Looking skywards today and seeing planes with the Magen David flying in tandem with those from Germany is one of history’s twists.

In 1945 nobody in their right mind could have ever imagined such a scenario taking place. This is one of those miraculous events which make life in Israel so interesting and energising.

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.