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December 7, 2006
Pitiful attempt to discredit CAF does not help community dialogue
The Canadian Arab Federation (CAF) condemns the attempt by the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC) to disparage and defame CAF. Contrary to what the CJC claimed, CAF did not produce a flyer attacking Bob Rae nor was it involved in sending it to parliamentarians or distributing it at the recent Federal Liberal Leadership Convention . However, CAF believes that Canadians have the right to know the factual information provided in the email by Ron Saba of Montreal Planet Magazine and his right to denounce Israeli apartheid and criticize those who support it. The email began with the text “Bob Rae was a keynote speaker for the JNF, a group shown by Israeli scholars to be complicit in war crimes and ethnic cleansing.”, and ended with the text “President Carter has condemned Israeli Apartheid. Bob Rae supports Israeli Apartheid. Don't elect a leader who supports Apartheid.” The Jewish National Fund (JNF) manages all state lands in Israel which account for approximately 92% of the surface of the State of Israel within the 1948 Green Line. The JNF charter stipulates that only Jews may legally live on such land, rent or cultivate it – thus denying the 1.2 million Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel those same rights. This practice amounts to ethnic cleansing and is repugnant to our Canadian laws and values. Canadians have the right to know who supports the JNF in Canada . “This is not the first attempt by the CJC to suppress what Canadians think, and to control what Canadians read and see, by defaming critics of Israel and the Israel lobby. Back in November 2004, the CJC spearheaded an attack against David Noble, a Jewish Professor at York University , because he exposed in a pamphlet the influence of the Israel lobby at York University . The CJC was also instrumental in having the children book, “Three Wishes” by renowned Canadian author Deborah Ellis, pulled from the shelves of school libraries in several Ontario school boards because the book talks about the suffering of both Palestinian and Israeli children. Furthermore, the CJC successively lobbied the CRTC to prevent the well-respected Aljazeera TV station from airing freely in Canada while, ironically, Aljazeera broadcasts without censorship in Israel ”, says Khaled Mouammar, CAF National President. It is now apparent to most people that Israel is the main promoter of anti-Semitism, since Israel claims to represent all Jews while it goes around violating international law, practicing apartheid and committing war crimes. The CJC should emulate courageous Jews who belong to the organization “Not In My Name” by criticizing Israel instead of supporting it, justifying and covering up its war crimes and bullying critics of Israel . CAF is committed to fostering good relations with all communities and organizations in Canada that defend the human and civil rights of all people in Canada and around the world, and who oppose racism, occupation and war crimes.
For more information, please contact: Khaled Mouammar CAF National President 416-879-6766
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