Canada's Contribution To The Debate

Canada's official contribution, that is. The position of the federal government. Canada has expressed its desire to see an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Like the rest of the international community, it is concerned with the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Gaza Strip. But let there be no mistake; while the government is concerned with the plight of Gazans, its position is unequivocal, according to Lawrence Cannon, Canada's foreign minister: "Canada's position has been well known from the very beginning. Hamas is a terrorist group. Israel defended itself."

On the other hand, Canada has experienced a good many protests from among the population gathering to march in protest against the Israeli assault on Gaza. This goes beyond the oft-cited "proportionality" issue, but encompasses the larger perception that Israel is an occupying force, and has deliberately, for malicious reasons, victimized Gazans, forcing them to live in sub-human conditions.

These marches of protest are invariably led by activist Arabs and Muslims who are citizens of Canada. They are joined by well-meaning, compassionate Canadians whose hearts have been touched by the plight of Palestinian Gazans. Many of whom have a very low opinion of the State of Israel, and perhaps of Jews in general. Nothing particularly surprising there, although it is disturbing.

Israel, right on the money, is being blamed, as it always is, for anything that occurs in the region. Her very presence seen as a blight of justice for claiming a portion of the land for its own, as a refuge for world-wide Jewry, an irony-laden place of safe haven - ensconced in a larger territory, encircled by Muslim nations for whom her presence is religious and political and social anathema.

Their anger at the presence of Israel in their midst, resonates with people around the world with a known proclivity to abhor all things Jewish. That's the street response. And it more than adequately reflects the response from Canada's traditional left, some of the academic community, and some of the trade and white-collar unions.

But the Government of Canada stands four-square and proudly in defence of another democratic country which it understands has an obligation to protect itself and its population from ongoing assaults. At a meeting of the Canada-Israel committee in Ottawa, where the CEO spoke of Israel's current conflict with Hamas as being representative of the larger struggle to protect democracy and pluralism, the disappointment of most Canadian Jews was manifest in his decrying of the "hate-infested" anti-Israel rallies in Canada and elsewhere in the world.

Present at the meeting was Transport Minister John Baird whose riding is in the area, who termed Hamas "cowards" attempting to "instill a culture of fear" amongst Israelis and Jews. "Security is very simple" he said. "It's an inalienable human right." And in Toronto, at a Toronto synagogue rally, Peter Kent, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs informed the crowd assembled there that Canada's government is "unequivocal in supporting Israel's right to defend itself".

That support extends to the Leader of the Official Opposition; Leader of the Liberal party of Canada, Michael Ignatieff. Who said "Hamas is a terrorist organization and Canada can't touch Hamas with a 10-foot pole. Hamas is to blame for organizing this, for those rocket attacks and then for sheltering among the civilian population. And Israel is justified in continuing military operations."

As Canadian Jews rally in support of Israel finally making the needed effort to defang Hamas, it's comforting to know that Canada stands fully in support of a country wracked by ongoing efforts to destroy it.