Harper no friend of Israel’s

Re Election Commentary: Canada and Israel, Sept. 28 As an Israeli-Canadian Jew who loves Israel, I take pride in supporting peace and justice for Israelis and Palestinians, including the establishment of a Palestinian State alongside Israel.

When I hear Stephen Harper calling himself “pro-Israel” and then aligning himself with right-wing forces in Israel who actively work against peace, my stomach turns. Harper is perhaps the most “anti-Israel” prime minister in Canada’s history. He has used his trademark fear-mongering to convince my Jewish community that only a hard-hearted and one-sided approach to Mideast politics will “keep Jews safe.”

Rather than be a positive force working for true diplomacy and reconciliation between conflicting parties, Harper continues to spew a venomous and dangerous politics rooted in divisiveness and appealing to the worst in people.

My family arrived in Canada from Tel Aviv to start a new life away from ethnic hatred and violence. Now the “haven” we came to is embracing the same extreme ideology and closed-mindedness of the place we left.

It is truly time Harper wake up from his delusional fantasies about the Mideast. Avi Zer-Aviv, Toronto