Stand up for Israel, prime minister
On Thursday in the House of Commons, the Conservative party put forward a motion asking the Liberal government to condemn the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions ( BDS) movement waged against Israel. Although the Liberal government ultimately supported the Conservative motion, other actions by this Liberal government on the same front have raised real concerns.
During t he 2015 campaign, there was a lot of doubt among supporters of Israel and members of Canada’s Jewish community that the Liberals, if elected, would continue the Harper government’s unprecedented support for Israel. Trudeau appeared to assuage many when he promised there would be no daylight between his support for Israel and Harper’s. However, the evidence so far seems to suggest otherwise.
On his first day as Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Stephane Dion spoke to the media. Now, I would have expected his remarks to focus on major global issues such as the threat of radical Islamism; the murder, enslavement and torture of Christians, Yazidis and other religious minorities in Arab and Muslim countries; even Canada’s Arctic sovereignty. Rather, he took the opportunity to say that “Canada will strive for a more balanced policy, more of an honest broker, if you will, regarding the Middle East.” He went on, “siding with Israel only, as the Harper government had done, is in nobody’s interest.”
Good grief, Minister. If Canada does not unequivocally support Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East, I shudder as to who you believe also deserves our support at the expense of our ally.
Canada’s support for Israel must be unequivocal. Why? It’s simple: Canada and Israel share the same values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. If you accept this premise, foreign policy is expressed in morally clear terms. If not, foreign policy is an expression of moral relativism resulting in t he abandonment of our own values. Canada’s reputation becomes one of “going along to get along” rather than principled. Our allies may begin to question if they can even rely on Canada.
Another real concern occurred on Feb. 5, when the Liberal government announced it was easing sanctions against Iran. Minister Dion stated he would like to re- open a dialogue with Iran, which ended in 2012, when the former Harper government cut off diplomatic relations because of Iran’s support for terrorism and their inability to guarantee the safety of Canadian diplomats in Tehran. Perhaps the Liberals’ “sunny ways” are blinding their better judgment. I, for one, have a few questions: has Iran ceased to be the world’s largest sponsor of state terrorism? Have they recognized Israel’s right to exist? Have they stopped funding terror groups like Hamas, al- Qaida and Hezbollah? Have they embraced human rights and gender equality within their own borders? If the Liberal government can’t answer yes to each of these questions, why on Earth would they reward Iran for its bad behaviour?
Sixteen Israelis have been killed in terrorist attacks since Nov. 4. Scores of others have been seriously wounded in stabbings, shootings, car rammings, fire bombings, stone and rock throwing attacks. Yet, to date, Prime Minister Trudeau has not uttered a single word of condemnation against the perpetrators of these terrorist attacks. It took until Jan. 24 for Minister Dion to say: “Canada is concerned by the continued violence in Israel and the West Bank and calls for all efforts to be made to reduce violence and incitement.” In response to criticism, Minister Dion took to Twitter to “clarify” his statement. But he still did not call the attacks on Israelis for what they are: terrorism.
On Jan. 18, Liberal MP for Mississauga- Erin Mills, I qra Khalid, met wit h board members of Palestine House in Mississauga. This organization had its funding cut off by the previous Conservative government in 2012 for a “pattern of support for extremism.” Just last Oct. 14, Palestine House organized a “Protest rally in solidarity and support of the Struggle of the Palestine people against the Israeli occupation and aggression.” Is restoration of funding in the offing for this group? Let’s watch this one closely.
Another cause for concern is reports t hat t he Liberal government will provide $ 15 million in annual funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency ( UNRWA). In recent years, much of UNRWA’s facilities and resources have been taken over by terrorist organizations like Hamas. Even f ormer Liberal MP Irwin Cotler has called for the disbanding of UNRWA because it “continues to engage patterns of incitement against Israel and in misrepresentation of the truth.”
Liberal leader Justin Trudeau assured Canadians there would be no daylight between his support f or Israel and Harper’s. One hundred days into his term, it’s already clear that this, sadly, is not the case.
TRUDEAU HAD SAID THERE WOULD BE ‘NO DAYLIGHT’ BETWEEN CONSERVATIVE AND LIBERAL SUPPORT. THAT’S ALREADY UNTRUE.