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The Canadian government’s stance towards Israel is akin to that of an irresponsible mother’s to her bratty child – the mother cannot, or simply choose not to, see her child’s transgressions. Israel’s numerous human rights violations however, are not mischievous pranks born out of the mind of an idle child. They are far more malicious in intent, and more significantly, far more devastating in impact.
Canada was on the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP) that “gave birth” to Israel in 1947. The Canadian government isn’t the only party responsible for the creation of Israel – 32 other nations voted in favor of the partition. However, it has since taken steps to seemingly ensure that it shoulders a significant amount of blame for empowering Israel, politically and economically.
This Canadian government’s apathy for Israel is only matched by its apparent disdain for Hamas and to that matter anything Palestinian. The Palestinian movement, which was democratically elected to power in Gaza in 2006 and had offered a ten-year truce to Israel, is considered a “terrorist entity” under the Anti-Terrorism Act. True to form, many Canadian politicians seem to take pride in their anti-Palestinian and pro-Israel stance. Chief among them are current Minister of Foreign Affairs John Russell Baird and Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
The Prime Minister, who had declared that Israel was Canada’s “best friend” and had pledged to support Israel “whatever the cost”, had his government boycott an vilify Hamas in 2006, even before Israel did. In 2010, Canadian PM Harper, whose government has always been pro-Israel, said “I know, by the way, because I have the bruises to show for it, that whether it is at the United Nations, or any other international forum, the easiest thing to do is simply to just get along and go along with this anti-Israeli rhetoric …” before essentially calling the rest of the world as anti-Semites.
During 2012’s eight-day-war a.k.a Operation Pillar of Defense, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said, “We fundamentally believe that Israel has the right to defend itself and its citizens from terrorist threats.Far too often, the Jewish people find themselves on the front lines in the struggle against terrorism, the great struggle of our generation. Just last weekend, more than 100 rockets rained down on civilians in southern Israel from positions in the Gaza Strip…”
In their latest batch of nonsensical verbiage, the two didn’t blink twice at the opportunity to take Israel’s side in ways that makes one question the bounds of hypocrisy. Baird had on Saturday issued a statement saying that “Canada rejects UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay’s uncalled-for criticism of Israel’s response to rocket attacks from Gaza. Focusing her comments on Israel is neither helpful nor reflective of the reality of this crisis”. He seems to suggest that Pillay, a judge in South Africa, a former judge of the International Criminal Court, President of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and who is currently High Commissioner for Human Rights, has less perspective on the “reality” of the crisis than he, a self-serving politician, does.
Harper, in seemingly the world’s stupidest game of one-upmanship, responded to US President Barack Obama’s anemic call for Israeli “restraint”, and said that Israel’s “self-defense” is not their right, but an “obligation”. The same Israel, which has in the past week, killed almost 200 people in a series of aerial attack that was started by Israel when the Israeli Defense Forces, without proof, accused Hamas of abducting and killing three Israeli teens. To date, Hamas has denied knowledge of the abduction, and no evidence has been found to prove that it was behind the kidnappings. Provocation has never been an issue for Israel though. Its record is full of unprovoked attacks and violations of human rights and international law.
According to a spokesman for the Israeli army, they were “instructed by the political echelon to hit Hamas hard” – the IDF nodded on without question and delivered quite the underhanded low-blow. Unfortunately for the rest of us who aren’t headless chickens, this isn’t pro-wrestling or a prank video. This is all too real.
Lest we forget, millions of Palestinians (including 75% of Gaza) are refugees because they were ethnically cleansed by Israel which refuse, contrary to all international law, to allow them home. Lest we forget, that what is left of Palestine is under brutal military occupation. Lest we forget that this is the longest continuing military occupation. Lest we forget that Israel continues to expropriate (nice word for steal) Palestinian land and property and colonize the land. Lest we forget that Israel occupy, expel and annex other people land and territories at will. Lest we forget that it is Israel that refuse to accept international law as a basis of settlement.
If this intolerable government wants to support these thuggish acts, it is their right. What we say: not in our name. Do not sully the name of Canada to suit your abdominal agenda. Harper and Baird: You do not represent me.
