Brown under fire for linking Palestinians and Ukrainians

Pro-Israel groups hammer leader candidate

OTTAWA • Patrick Brown is under fire from pro-Israel groups after breaking ranks with the Conservative Party of Canada's official position on the Canadian Embassy in Israel and for drawing analogies between Ukrainians and Palestinians.

Brown made both comments in the transcript of an interview published over the weekend with Sada Al Mashrek, a publication that serves the Muslim community in Montreal. However, Brown's team said on Monday that the published transcript was an inaccurate portrayal of his views.

Shimon Koffler Fogel, president and CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), said he was concerned over Brown's “disturbing comments” in the published article.

“We have engaged directly with both Mr. Brown and his campaign team and are looking forward to public clarifications he may provide over the coming days,” he added.

Members of the Conservative Party of Canada voted overwhelmingly in 2018 in favour of moving Canada's embassy to Israel's capital from Tel Aviv, which the United States did that same year. The Tories' two prior leaders, Erin O'Toole and Andrew Scheer, both promised to move the embassy if elected prime minister. However, with Palestinians insisting that East Jerusalem must become part of a future Palestinian state, most countries have avoided locating their embassy in Jerusalem.

In the Sada Al Mashrek interview, Brown responded to a question about moving the Israeli embassy to Jerusalem, saying “If I am prime minister, I will not be moving the embassy.”

Brown was also asked if he saw any “double standards” between Canada's treatment of the Ukrainian refugees and military, as they fight against Russia's invasion, and Palestinian refugees and territories that Palestinians consider “occupied” by Israel.

“I do. That's why I have been speaking out against the violence in Palestine,” said Brown. He added “I think Canada needs to have a balanced foreign policy and far too often has not been balanced in the Middle East,” saying he believed in a two-state solution, but that he thinks Canada had replicated “the position of Washington DC and Donald Trump” on the Israel-Palestinian situation. “I am not interested in being a sheep that follows others. If I am prime minister, I am going to do what I feel is right,” Brown said.

He also called on Canada to do more to help Palestinian refugees, as well as those from Afghanistan and Yemen, as it has done for Ukrainian refugees. He also noted that he was the first Canadian politician to issue a public statement on clashes last month between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians at the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. On April 15, Brown tweeted that he was “deeply troubled by the violence occurring in Jerusalem” and calling for peace.

“It is disingenuous to compare the situation in Ukraine to the riots at the Al Aqsa mosque,” said Michael Mostyn, CEO of B'nai Brith Canada. “Israel will continue to defend itself from terrorist incitement, just as Ukraine will continue to defend itself from Russian military aggression.”

“Patrick Brown should know this,” continued Mostyn.

Asked to clarify his stance, Brown's team suggested that the leadership contender's views were “not accurately represented in the article”.

“While he believes that Canada should act swiftly in assisting refugees, he never drew or intended to draw a comparison between the tragedy of the refugee situation in Ukraine,” said a spokesperson from the Brown campaign in a written statement to the National Post.

Brown did not, however, back down from his stance on the location of the Canadian embassy.

“The top priority is now, and has always been, a two-state solution towards peace in the region,” said the spokesperson.

Mostyn said it was “unfortunate” to read that Brown would not move the Canadian embassy to Israel's capital. “Every country has the right to choose what its capital should be. And Israel has chosen Jerusalem.”