Woe to Those Who Say "Peace, Peace" When There is No Peace

Australia's cowardice exposed at the United Nations

If Hamas released the hostages, and if Hezbollah stopped firing rockets – we’d have peace in the Middle East.

 But, as it turns out, terrorists aren’t so crazy about peace.

 Terrorists love taking hostages. Terrorists also love firing rockets. 

 And in a twist of fate no-one saw coming, terrorists also have quite a bit of support in marginal Labor Sydney seats.

 That’s not conjecture. 

 Hundreds of people marched through Sydney this week chanting support for Hezbollah – a registered terrorist organisation.

Our government is so concerned about displays like this, they’ve issued visas to almost 3000 Palestinians.

 But don’t worry. They have all been security checked. In fact, some of them were even security checked before they got here. 

 Poor fellow, my country.

 So what is the Federal Labor Government to do when terrorists won’t play nice, and when people supporting terrorist organisations are weighing up how to vote in next year’s Federal Election?

 Well, Foreign Minister Penny Wong went to the United Nations this week, and berated the Middle East’s only liberal democracy for ‘not playing fair’.

She told the world …

“War has rules, even when confronting terrorists. Even when defending borders. Civilians need to be protected.”

She came across like an exasperated school Ma’am, wagging her finger at Israel.

‘If you really MUST confront terrorists; and if you really MUST defend your borders; well, there are rules.’

Are you kidding me?

Fair-minded people around the world are aware just how far Israel has gone in order to protect civilians. What other army warns civilians in advance of an attack?

 She continued …

“Nearly a year ago Hamas killed 1200 Israelis, the worst loss of Jewish life … and Hamas terrorists continues to hold hostages …”

Was it Joseph Stalin who quipped: “One death is a tragedy. A million deaths is a statistic”?

 How quickly our foreign minister breezily mentions 1200 dead Jews – neglecting to mention how many of them were first beaten, raped, burned and beheaded.

 Oh, and incidentally, Hamas terrorists continue to hold hostages.

 We might pause for a moment and think about that. 

By “the hostages” she meant Israeli civilians snatched from their families and held underground for the past eleven months.

One of those hostages was a baby who turned one in captivity.

I said we might pause to think about that, but Australia’s foreign minister was rushing to get to her preferred talking point – Israel’s response.

 “In Israel’s response, 40,000 Palestinians have been killed. More than 11,000 children. And more than 300 aid workers since this war began. Gaza is the deadliest place on earth to be an aid worker.”

 “Since this war began” is such a banal, lazy turn of phrase. 

 Since Hamas, the governing body Gaza, invaded a liberal democratic state and started slaughtering people before returning home to celebrate is, I think, what Penny Wong meant to say.

 As for the assertion that “Gaza is one of the deadliest places to be an aid worker”. 

 Well indeed it is.

 But you know, even before October 7, Gaza was one of the deadliest places in the world to be a homosexual.

Or transgender.

Or a Jew.

Or a Christian.

 And before Gaza was one of the deadliest places in the world to be an aid worker, just across the border from Gaza was one of the deadliest places in the world to be a Jew enjoying a music festival. As almost 400 dead young people would attest – if they could.

But Wong was not done.

“The world demands a ceasefire in Gaza, hostages must be released. Aid must low. This humanitarian catastrophe must end.”

 If the world demanded the release of the hostages rather than including them as steak knives that, incidentally, should probably come with a ceasefire, then “the world” – whom Penny Wong proports to speak for – might see some progress.

 But the Australian Labor Government doesn’t have time for such trivialities as moral clarity.

“We cannot wait for the parties to do this themselves and we cannot allow any party to obstruct the prospect of peace.”

By “the parties” and “any party” Australia’s foreign minister was putting the democratic state of Israel on parity with a violent Islamist terrorist organisation.

 And she wonders why Israel is disinclined to listen to her, or the International Community she claims to represent. Sigh.

 Anyway, having solved the Gaza situation by effectively saying Israel should just stop it - Penny Wong then moved her attention to Hezbollah.

“Hezbollah are terrorists that have not complied with the Security Council resolution 1701 but Lebanese civilians should not pay the price. De-escalation is urgent. Dialogue is needed and parties must this resolution in full.”

Penny Wong is right that Hezbollah has not complied with Security Council resolution 1701. I might add - that resolution was put in place 18 years ago.

 

How can Penny Wong say Hezbollah is a terrorist organisation that has, for the past 18 years refused to comply with Security Council resolutions and conclude … “dialogue is needed”.

 Does she even listen to herself?

 And isn’t it amazing how Penny Wong wasn’t advocating for dialogue while Hezbollah were firing thousands of rockets at Israeli civilians over the past year. 

 But she’s all about everyone sitting down for a chat now Israel has decided to defend itself.

Australia believes Lebanon cannot become the next Gaza. Just as in Gaza we call for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon.

Penny Wong doesn’t want Gaza to become the next Lebanon. 

 Well, you know, Israel doesn’t want Northern Israel to become the next Southern Israel; or tomorrow to become the next October 7.

So while it’s a given that everyone wants peace, the Israelis might be well advised to ignore everything our government says. Because our government only knows compromise with terrorists and compromise with terrorists never ended well for peace-loving people.

 And Australians might be well advised to bear in mind how weak-kneed our government is in the face of terrorists.

It’s worth bearing in mind the ancient prophet Jeremiah’s warning about government’s like ours …

They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious.

‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace.

Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush.

So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when I punish them,” says the Lord.

God help Israel. And God help those of us in the Western world led by cowardly leaders.