July 4, 2010

Israel, Gaza, Antisemitism, and Common Sense: Sorting It Out

Elizabeth May

I am deeply troubled by the failure of many in the media and in political
life to distinguish between anti-Semitic comments and legitimate criticism
of the policies of the current government of Israel. We are, as a society,
moving to a place where gag orders will ensue for anyone found critical of
the actions of Israel. The attack on the Turkish vessel Mavi Marmara, and
the killing of nine pro-Palestinian activists on May 31 brought into clear
focus what all Canadians should know. The Harper government has become the
most pro-Israel of any government on earth.

The day of the attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was a guest of the
Government of Canada, on a state visit. Of all the governments in the world,
Canada did the most to avoid direct criticism of Israel. The visit of the
Israeli Prime Minister to Parliament Hill was, apparently, unmarred by the
fact that at that moment, three Canadian citizens, including Kevin Neish of
Victoria, were in Israeli government custody while their families still had
no confirmation of their well-being.

Even the US, usually holding the title of Israel's best friend, expressed
regret and called for an inquiry, albeit an internal Israeli investigation.
While shaking hands with the Prime Minister of Israel, our Prime Minister
said nothing of the tragedy.

The Green Party made a public statement deploring the use of violence and
repeating our call for a comprehensive economic stabilization plan and
internationally monitored buffer zone around the Gaza Strip. While there is
a need for an investigation of the attack on the pro-Gaza flotilla, certain
facts are not in dispute. The Israeli government forces attacked in
international waters. That alone violates international law.  The fact that
nine people were killed creates the spectre of a far worse crime.

The Harper government has also managed to manipulate its support for the
State of Israel with attacks on others for antisemitism. The church-based
NGO Kairos lost its funding over such a charge. It was at the heart of the
interference with rights and democracy.

I have been at the receiving end of this sort of nasty attack, when the
Prime Minister, distorting my comments out of recognition, alleged in the
House that I had trivialized the Holocaust.  My 'crime' was quoting George
Monbiot who, in the context of the climate crisis, had compared former US
President Bush, Australia's Howard and Stephen Harper to Neville
Chamberlain. I got fairly bruised in the spin cycle of the Harper war room.

Meanwhile, the Green Party stands firm calling for a balanced policy
favouring a two-state solution in the Middle East-closer to the kind of
policy Canada once advocated. We insist on the right of Israel to exist and
condemned the Hezbollah rockets into Israel, as we condemned the excessive
force in Israel's bombing of Lebanon.

The Greens oppose antisemitism with the same vigour we oppose racism, sexism
and other forms of hatred. Recently, the Supreme Court of British Columbia
foundi n our favour, when the party and I were sued by an aggrieved former
candidate who objected to being rejected, and to having his words described
in our press release as 'anti-Semitic comments.' The comments, describing
9-11 as involving the 'shoddily built jewish world bank headquarters
(sic)'were not borderline. The hatred unleashed against a people in the
Holocaust, fuelled by paranoia about Jewish control of banks and banking, is
well known. There is a difference between antisemitism and fair and
reasonable criticism of Israeli policy.

So too, is there an effort to conflate criticism of Israel with denying the
right of the State of Israel to exist. I have relatives in Israel and I
completely understand the sense of insecurity that comes from being
surrounded by the Arab world, with, at least some leaders, still claiming
your homeland has no right to exist. However, maintaining as an inviolate
principle the right of Israel to exist is not the same as giving its
government carte blanche to trample on human rights and the peace process.
Ten thousand Israeli citizens rallied to condemn the attack on the Gaza
flotilla, and it was denounced by NGOs in Israel, such as the human rights
group, B'Tselem.

The sense that criticism of Israel is not permitted in Canada has been
growing, but what prompted me to write this column is the recent attack on
NDP MP Libby Davies. Libby is a valiant defender of the rights of the
homeless and the poor. Recently, she was caught on tape in what was an
off-the-cuff answer stating that occupation began in 1948.  Once her
comments were placed on YouTube, the denunciations were swift. Harper called
for her resignation, and even within her own party she faced pressure.

She wrote to the Ottawa Citizen to apologize:  'My reference to the year
1948 as the beginning of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory was
a serious and completely inadvertent error.' On the other hand, there is a
difference between occupation and illegal occupation. In 1492,many would say
that 500-years of occupation of the Americas began. That does not translate
to denying the right of any nations' existence. The term 'occupation' in the
Middle East context is generally confined to additional, non-UN agreement
occupation as it began in 1967.

Keeping a clear head about these issues is critical. A climate of fear and
oppression within Canada stifles free speech. These dangerous trends need to
be named, and challenged.

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Elizabeth May is leader of the Green Party of Canada and a candidate in
Saanich Gulf Islands.

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Original link, page 3  http://www.islandtides.com/assets/IslandTides.pdf 

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