Israeli voters expected to return Netanyahu today. Will Harper finally make a visit?
Ottawa’s role in peace is a lingering question
JERUSALEM- Some Israelis and Canadians regard Stephen Harper as Israel’s staunchest international backer.
Given the Harper government’s unwavering support for Israel and the prime minister’s deep Christian faith, it is perplexing that despite his far-ranging travels on behalf of Canada over the past seven years, he has never been to the Holy Land.
Will Harper finally make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem after his bosom buddy, Benjamin Netanyahu, is returned to power in national elections that he is widely expected to win on Tuesday?
“That was always a question when I was ambassador, too,” Alan Baker, who served as Israel’s man in Ottawa from 2004 to 2008, said with a laugh.
“Harper (had) said that when he had a majority he might consider it. I am sure that if he came he would get a great welcome as our best friend in the world. The answer I usually get is that Canada’s foreign minister comes frequently and Israeli ministers visit Canada.”
“Netanyahu has been to Canada twice and (Israeli President Shimon) Peres has been there, too. But I don’t think that being a supporter of Israel means that you must come here, although it would be nice if he did. The important thing is that Canada supports Israel.”
Canada’s consistent votes in Israel’s favour at the UN have not gone unnoticed here. They have become front-page news. An ultra-Orthodox Jew provided a typical observation in Tel Aviv last week when he said Canada was to be congratulated for its courage in resolutely backing Israel at a time when its old friends in Europe seem to be turning away.
Predictably, the Palestinians have had a much different take on Canada’s pro-Israel tilt. In the West Bank town of Jericho last week, several shopkeepers expressed fury at how loudly Harper and Foreign Minister John Baird have declared their admiration and support for Israel.
“Unlike Europe and to some extent the U.S., the Canadian government is more interested in Israel’s basic right to defend itself from terror,” Baker said. “That is not something that you hear much today from Europeans. People here acknowledge and appreciate that Canada has been principled and vocal in its support for Israel, especially at the UN.”
Although Canada, like the rest of the world, has opposed Netanyahu’s Likud-led government’s policy of expanding settlements in the West Bank, it has otherwise been in Israel’s corner. That is unlikely to change no matter what kind of coalition Netanyahu forges in the days and weeks after Tuesday’s ballot.
With hardline ultranationalist newcomer Naftali Bennett’s Jewish Home Party expected to place a strong third behind Israel’s two traditional big rivals, Likud and Labour, there is a good chance that Netanyahu’s next government will be more right wing but less beholden to religious parties than the current coalition.
What this might mean for Israel, the region and the world is impossible to say, but many are already trembling at the potential fallout from a possible Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. At the same time, many political leaders and commentators in Europe and some in North America have condemned Netanyahu for expanding settlements in the West Bank.
As emotive as these controversial issues are, neither aroused much debate during the three-month campaign.
“Iran is an important issue for Israelis, but there has been little debate because every party agrees that Iran must not have nuclear weapons,” said Baker, who still makes frequent visits to Canada. “There are differences about how to solve the problem, which is a grave matter for Israel, just not an election issue.”
On the other hand, although Netanyahu had strengthened his support for settlers in a transparent attempt to keep his supporters from drifting even further to the right, the settlements have not figured much in the race because “both the right and the left have their positions for and against the settlements and nothing they say will convince those on the other side to change their minds,” Baker said.
The settlements are of keen personal interest to Baker. Now the director of the Institute for Contemporary Affairs at the Jerusalem Centre for Public Affairs, he was a senior legal adviser for Israel during peace treaty negotiations with Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinians. Last January, he was appointed by Netanyahu to sit on a three-member commission examining land ownership in the West Bank.
Although the government has staked out new diplomatic ground with its robust defence of Israel, whether Canada will play any role if the peace process eventually resumes is an open question.
“Historically, Canada has never really been interested in pushing itself into the centre of things, especially before the Conservatives came to power,” Baker said. “I doubt Canada will get more involved because Israel is not at the top of its agenda, but if it was to say it was willing to help, I am sure that Israel would welcome this.”