Harper to announce first visit to Israel: sources
PM speaks Sunday at dinner in Toronto
Prime Minister Stephen Harper will announce plans to visit Israel for the first time at a dinner in his honour being hosted by the Jewish National Fund on Sunday in Toronto, sources have told Postmedia News.
Harper is considered by many to be Israel’s staunchest ally but he has never visited the Holy Land.
He may have been spurred into action by comments made by Stephen Bronfman, the new chief fundraiser for the Liberal party, who claimed that Justin Trudeau, his party’s leader, is closer to Israel than Harper because he has been there.
The Jewish National Fund has been raising money to build a migratory bird interpretive centre in Israel — the Stephen J. Harper Hula Valley Bird Sanctuary.
The park is known as a hub for millions of birds crossing through Israel during migration season.
The fund is a quasi-governmental Israeli non-profit organization responsible for the development of land and settlements in Israel.
Its annual Negev dinner is held to acknowledge community leaders for their support of Israel, and funds that are raised go to various projects across the country.
“Prime Minister Harper is an extraordinary leader who has raised awareness in the international fight against anti-Semitism and has restored Canada’s strong voice on the world stage,” JNF Canada president Frank A. Wilson said in a written statement Friday.
The organization’s chief executive officer, Josh Cooper, said the JNF is proud to pay tribute to Harper “for his unwavering support of freedom, justice and democracy.”
The Prime Minister’s Office would not confirm Friday that an announcement would be made on a trip to Israel.
Harper has a personal rapport with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Conservative government has stood solidly behind Israel since coming to power in 2006, when Harper infuriated Canadian Arabs by calling Israel’s bombing of Lebanon “measured.”
Netanyahu has made multiple visits to Canada. Harper has travelled to virtually every region in the world but not to Israel.