April 5, 2004

"There are none so blind as those who cannot see." From “Butterflies Are Free” by Leonard Gershe

I want to thank Nidal Rashed for bringing this quote to my attention. It appears in the signature line of her email messages. The significance is that Nidal lost her sight a few years ago, but not her vision. She can still see and distinguish right from wrong, cause from effect. Many who are still blessed with their eyesight cannot make those distinctions or they choose not to. Among them is our esteemed Minister of Foreign Affairs, and our esteemed Prime Minister, particularly when it comes to Israel and the Palestinian tragedy.

Mr. Graham’s sins, when it comes to the Palestinians, are commensurate with his vast knowledge about their tragedy and about international law. Mr. Graham is not an ordinary Minister. He is an intellectual and an international affairs lawyer who has worked on human rights issues. His work on Kosovo and on the International Criminal Court are examples. 

In practice, however, it seems that Bill Graham the politician, fearful of the Israeli lobby in Canada, defeats Bill Graham the humanist and Bill Graham the moralist. Nothing exemplifies this more than his statement a year ago, at a dinner held by The National Council on Canada Arab Relations in Ottawa, when he declared that in his heart he supports the rights of the Palestinians but as Minister he has to chart a “balanced” course.  The balanced course, it turns out, is giving Israel a free hand in its aggression against the Palestinians and other Arab countries.

In a letter responding to The Syrian Arab Association of Canada’s, call for condemnation of an unprovoked Israeli attack on Syria, the Minister states:

“We want to ensure that Israel acts in a way that is conducive to the long-term prospects for peace. The Israeli air strike in Syria is the type of military operation that will make long-term prospects for peace more difficult. We understand and affirm Israel’s right to defend itself. We also believe Israel should refrain from unilateral strikes against the sovereignty of neighbouring countries to prevent further escalation.”

What a farce! It would be interesting to see Mr. Graham’s reaction if a judge were to say when sentencing a mugger who had attacked and robbed Mr. Graham:  “We want to ensure that the mugger acts in a way that is conducive to public safety on the streets of Toronto.” The farce goes on. The letter continues: 

“The Government of Canada does not recognize permanent Israeli control over the territories occupied in 1967 (the Golan Heights, the West Bank. East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip) and opposes all unilateral actions intended to pre-determine the outcome of the negotiations, including the establishment, maintenance and expansion of settlements, which we consider to be in contradiction with the Fourth Geneva convention to which Israel is signatory. We have urged the Israeli government both in bilateral meetings and in multilateral fora to heed the views of the international community on this issue and to abide by international law.”

“Permanent Israeli control”! What happened to occupation, the cause of all ills including  suicide bombing?  “Canada does not recognise…” “We urge Israel to heed…”  Who is the Minister kidding? This is Ariel Sharon we are dealing with, the man who lied to his own cabinet about invading Lebanon. The man held responsible by Israel’s own investigative commission for the massacres of Sabra and Shatilla, the man who planted settlements in the West Bank with the devotion and care of a grandmother tending her rose garden, the man who flattened Jenin.

Assuming that Minister Graham is really opposed to occupation and settlements, he is not taking any concrete steps to stop them. On the contrary, his last press release regarding Sheikh Yassin, which was echoed by our Prime Minister, justifies Israeli murder. Canada’s opposition to the Palestinians’ referral to the International Court of Justice, regarding the wall Israel is constructing and which extends deep into Palestinian territory, is an invitation to more violence. The Minister should know that by stopping the weaker party in a conflict from seeking legal redress, you are siding with the stronger party and leaving the weaker no option but to seek violent redress. 

The Minister has to ask himself the following questions: has Canada’s policy of appeasing Israel made Israel more respectful of International law? Has it made Israel end its occupation? Has it lessened the misery of the Palestinians? Has it lessened  terrorism or has it contributed to an escalation of  worldwide terror? Has it contributed to peace? If the answer is no, then maybe it is time to change our policy.

A new policy has to stem from the premise that the Palestinians are a people subjected to an ongoing genocide, or “politicide” as Kimmerling put it, and that it is the responsibility of the International Community to stop this genocide. Should our words about genocide seem an exaggeration, we invite the Minster to read the United Nation’s definition of Genocide, http://www.hrweb.org/legal/genocide.html  - although we are sure that he knows this definition given his work on the International Criminal Court. 

Canada and the world community can no longer deal with Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land and the daily atrocities against Palestinians with such language as “we urge Israel to heed.” It has to be dealt with using such language as “Israel has to cease and desist or else”. The “or else” needs to be defined in clear and compelling terms.

The Americans tell Israel “or else” when it suits them of course. For example, the Americans told Israel: “No more new settlements or we cut your loan guarantees”, and when Israel added more settlements, the Americans cut the loan guarantees.  Canada may not have as much leverage with Israel but it has great moral standing in the International Community.   Canada must take a moral stand and use all the influence that it can muster to back it up. 

Any delay in this matter plays into Sharon’s hands and his policy of “final solution” for the Palestinians - which is to transfer them to Jordan.  Let’s not forget that Sharon, until he became prime minister, advocated the notion that “Jordan is Palestine.”  As prime minister, he has not changed his conviction, he has merely camouflaged it.

We speak directly to the Minister knowing that he is under tremendous pressure from the so called “Liberal Parliamentarians for Israel.” But leadership means standing up to injustice, not appeasing aggression. The world is still paying for the mistakes of 1948, and 1967. We are paying for not stopping the Zionist movement from mass expulsion of Palestinians in 1948, for failing to return the refugees to their homes, and for failing to stop Israel from further expansion in 1967, and so on. We do not want our children to be dealing with the results of another expulsion of Palestinians from the remnants of their tattered homeland.

"There are none so blind as those who cannot see". One might add: and none so hypocritical as those who preach morality and fail to stand up for justice.

Oussama El-Mohtar is a Gatineau, Quebec consultant who has been writing mostly in Arabic, but plans to do more in English. Cpn-O looks forward to future articles from this author.

See Also by this author: On Appeasing Pro Israeli Interests and Other Matters

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