Toward the end of the summer, newsfeeds throughout the world were dominated by yet another conflict in Israel, as the terrorist group Hamas began indiscriminately firing rockets at Israeli cities. Despite multiple attempted cease-fires, the conflict continues, and there does not appear to be an end in sight. Incredibly, this overseas conflict, in a country with less land mass than Vancouver Island, is having an effect on our own nation.
At the provincial level, Premier Christy Clark came under fire for a letter written to The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, demonstrating her support for Israel in the conflict.
Though the letter itself did not contain anything incredibly offensive or inflammatory, it was called outrageous by Hanna Kawas, the chairman of the Canada Palestine Association, who claimed that it was “ignorant of facts on the ground” and that Clark “should not be speaking on behalf of British Columbians on the matter.” Kawas’ statement is, in itself, ignorant of the fact that as the democratically elected leader of the province, speaking on behalf of British Columbians is part of Clark’s job.
Kawas was not the only one upset by statements made by politicians regarding the crisis in Israel. The usual critics have emerged from the woodwork to criticize the government’s pro-Israel stance.
Sana Hassainia, MP for Verchères Les Patriotes, recently quit the NDP in protest of the party’s stance on the conflict in Gaza. The worst thing about critics like Hassainia is the incredibly shaky ground they stand on, as the statements they criticize seem to hone in on only part of the story.
There is every indication that Israel is doing what it can to avoid civilian deaths.
Hassainia singled out the first NDP press release, which simply stated that “Israel has the right to defend itself against terrorist attacks by Hamas.” This statement caused her to label the NDP a blatantly “pro-Israel party,” despite the fact that leader Tom Mulcair recently shifted his opinions, with statements surrounding the deaths of innocent civilians killed in the line of fire. Mulcair’s full statement was that “Israel has the right to defend its citizens from these attacks, while doing its utmost to protect civilians.”
Truth be told, the pro-Israel position is one that’s been widely adopted by the Canadian political establishment, though with varying degrees of concern for the deaths of civilians. Even Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau has condemned Hamas’ attacks and “commended [Israel] for having accepted the ceasefire proposals, demonstrating its commitment to peace.”
Alongside that of Mulcair, Trudeau’s statement echoes those made by Prime Minister Harper, forming a rare occurrence in Canadian politics: all three parties actually agree on something.
To be honest, it’s difficult to disagree with the statement “we support a country’s right to defend itself against terrorist attacks.” While civilian deaths are tragic, there is every indication that Israel is doing what it can to avoid these deaths, including calling intended targets in advance to warn civilians to evacuate, and sometimes dropping non-lethal sound bombs to announce an impending attack.
Perhaps we shouldn’t judge this conflict at all, but when one examines the stories behind the headlines, one sees that the true story is not as black and white, as many like to believe. When the Liberals, the NDP, and the Conservatives all agree on something, there must be merit to this agreement. Perhaps it is time to truly stand with Israel.
