Immediate Concern: 'Islamophobia' Afterthought: Antisemitism

"Our wholehearted support of the ICJ and its processes does not mean that we support the premise of the case brought forward by South Africa."

"Canada has long been a tremendous supporter of the international rules-based order and processes and structures that have been put in place over the past decades to be able to actually ensure that international law is respected and enforced."

"And the ICJ, [International Court of Justice], is a key part of that. Our wholehearted support of the ICJ and its processes does not mean we support the premise [genocide] of the case brought forward by South Africa."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

 

"Under the UN's 1948 Genocide Convention, the crime of genocide requires the intention to destroy or partly destroy a group because of their nationality, ethnicity, race or religion. Meeting this high threshold requires compelling evidence."

"We must ensure that the procedural steps in this case are not used to foster antisemitism and targeting of Jewish neighbourhoods, businesses and individuals. At the same time, we will continue to stand against Islamophobia and anti-Arab sentiment."

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly

 

"This is the cynical Liberal strategy to say one thing to one group of voters and an entirely different thing to another group of voters ... while trying to have it both ways."

"[Whereas I am taking a] clear stand based on moral clarity [where a Conservative government would have outright rejected South Africa's claims]."

"This is not about genocide. It is about shamelessly and dishonestly attacking the Jewish people and the Jewish state, and the Conservative party stands against this dishonest approach."

Conservative Leader of the Official Opposition Pierre Poilievre

South Africa’s legal team inside The Hague. They are joined by justice minister Raymond Lamola, left, and ambassador Vusi Madonsela. Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu via Getty Images

There was an expectation that Canada would declare its official position as a two-day hearing on South Africa's genocide claim against Israel came into session. The Thursday deadline came and went, but now that waited-for declaration has been expressed and Canadians now know that their prime minister and his government feels there is justification for the case brought by South Africa, just not hinging the case on genocide, as a claim too far. 

 

And note, that whenever 'antisemitism' is brought up by Trudeau of his minister of foreign affairs, 'Islamophobia' requires equal billing.

This Liberal prime minister of Canada is a master of equivocation, carefully choosing his words so that the listener can take what comfort they can find in a refusal to entirely commit to an unequivocal response certain to offend one party and create jubilation for the other. Implicit in what he did say was that South Africa's charges are justified,  just that they went a little too far. Sitting on the fence can be useful in  areas where the truth and reality are opaque, but in this instance both are transparently clear.

And for his trepidatious caution Trudeau has pleased no one; the Jewish community in Canada suffering through the trauma of virally vicious antisemitism on public display held a glimmer of hope that their prime minister would finally commit to recognizing the existential reality of Israel's need to expunge the presence of a murderous terrorist group operating next door to ensure no promised repeats of October 7's sadistic horror of slaughter, mutilation, rape and abduction can recur. The position that Trudeau stated validated their growing belief that a whiff of antisemitism emanates from the PMO's sitting regent.

 

South Africa, a country that has made its hostility to the Jewish state abundantly clear in the past -- a country that saw nothing amiss in giving haven to Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir who was tried and found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the Darfur genocide, sheltered while attending a 2014 African Union Summit, and whose friendship with Vladimir Putin also held to account for his invasion of Ukraine by the ICC -- demanded that the International Court of Justice order an emergency suspension of Israel's military actions in Gaza, against genocidal Hamas.

Israeli tanks re-enter Israel from Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, near the Israel-Gaza border, in southern Israel on Thursday. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

"The intent to destroy Gaza has been nurtured at the highest level of state. That is evident from the way in which this military attack is being conducted", stated Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, of the High Court of South Africa. The case brought to the ICJ by South Africa has seen support from a dozen countries, including Brazil, Colombia, Iran and Malaysia, along with the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Hamas has heaped praise on South Africa for bringing a charge of genocide to the Court against Israel.

 

The U.K.'s stated position is that the prosecution is unhelpful, while the United States criticizes the prosecution as without merit and counterproductive. Most of the world has committed to no comment. Post-apartheid South Africa has long been a critic of Israel, while supporting the Palestinians. The African National Congress had ties with the Palestine Liberation Organization during the apartheid era. Bishop Desmond Tutu often condemned Israel for its 'oppression' of the Palestinians. While Nelson Mandela had a particularly chummy relationship with Yasser Arafat.

 

Needless to say, it is Hamas that has committed itself to genocide, stating so clearly in its charter that its purpose is to destroy Israel. A fairly obscene example of its intention took place on October 7 when Hamas operatives stormed the Israeli border and thousands of terrorists entered Israel, carrying out a series of bloody assaults that led to the deaths of infants and children, the elderly and infirm, entire families burned to death, and girls and women gruesomely raped and murdered. Yet it claims to be the victim, and Israel the genocidal aggressor.

Pro-Israeli protesters gather near the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as judges hear a request for emergency measures by South Africa to order Israel to stop its military actions in Gaza, in The Hague, Netherlands, on Friday. (Thilo Schmuelgen/Reuters)

Canadian Muslim members of Parliament persuaded Trudeau to have Canada vote in favour of a ceasefire in a non-binding motion of the United Nations General Assembly, a month ago. Some members of the Liberal caucus disagreed with the unconditional ceasefire call, going so far as to state that Canada had abandoned its "traditional position" on Israel. Minister of Defence Bill Blair stated that Hamas, which Canada considers a terrorist organization needs to be "eliminated as a threat" to the world.

 

Liberal Member of Parliament Salma Zahid considers that South Africa's application aligns with Canada's "long-stated commitment to the rule of law", while Iqra Khalid, her MP colleague, wrote of her support of the South African submission, that "credible allegations that international law has been violated must be investigated and those responsible must be held accountable".

"It's not at all a fair or balanced or nuanced accounting of the conflict [the 84-page application by South Africa]."

"It doesn't include any of the peace offers that were rejected by Palestinians, doesn't go into the trauma that the Israeli collective psyche suffered after something like the second intifada."

"It's just very slanted, and I understand, as a lawyer, for making their case for the Palestinian side, but it  as also shocking to me to see a sort of revisionist history of the Israel-Palestine conflict by South Africa."

Joanna Baron, executive director, Canadian Constitution Foundation 

Pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian protesters gathered near the ICJ in the Hague to watch the proceedings   Reuters

"[I find it] incredible [that the countries in support of South Africa have not accused Hamas of genocide, considering that its goal is to destroy Israel and is] backed by the Iranian government which seeks to annihilate the entire Jewish people."

"Why are they not bringing a case against China for its persecution of the Uyghur Muslims who are in concentration camps in that country? Why are they not going after [Syria’s] Bashar al-Assad who’s been carrying out a genocide against Sunni Muslims in that country?"

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre