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Read Globe and Mail Story September. 8, 2008 PAJU (Palestinian And Jewish Unity) congratulates
Dr. Ghanem, Elizabeth May and the Green Party Dr. Ghanem's Palestine resolution accords perfectly with the principles of international law. International law stipulates that no country may acquire land by military conquest, or occupy it or colonize it. Israel's 41 year old occupation of Arab land violates this principle. For this reason, Canada has never recognized Israel's occupation as valid. Dr. Ghanem's resolution is principled, reasonable and untainted by anti-Semitism in any way. Canadians should applaud his courage in speaking out against a grave injustice. The backlash from the pro-Israel lobby was, of course, to be expected. It should be dismissed for what it is: noisy propaganda on behalf of a country that has consistently flouted international law. As a human rights organization working for peace with justice in the Middle East, PAJU (Palestinian And Jewish Unity) congratulates Dr. Ghanem, Ms May and the Green Party for daring to denounce the occupation. Let's hope other political parties learn from the Greens' courageous example. PAJU (Palestinian And Jewish Unity) ************* Dear Elizabeth May: Thank you for supporting Dr. Qais Ghanem against accusations of anti-Semitism. I am sure that you know that nothing could be further from the truth. He is the founder of the Arab-Jewish dialogue group, Potlucks for Peace and is very popular and respected among Arab, Jews and "others" such as myself. What will become of this country if people can be accused of anti-semitism for a statement such as "The Israeli point of view is voiced non-stop by the North American media which is controlled by a small oligarchy." This is a statement of fact and the media monopoly in this country should never have been allowed to happen. I wish you the best of luck in your riding. I have voted for the Green candidate in this riding in the past two elections. I am looking forward to meeting the Green candidate this time around - provided you do not let yourself get pushed around by the Zionists. All the other parties are kowtowing to the Zionist forces. I believe there is political advantage to showing real leadership and standing up against genocide. I hope that the Canadian Green party can someday soon adopt a position similar to the US Greens on Palestine. Warm regards, Linda Belanger ****** Dear Elizabeth May, Yesterday I read about your dismissal of Mr. Shavluk for his "anti- semitic" comments. The article I read did not repeat the comments and I was preparing to write an angry letter about how quickly a Green party opposition has been de-clawed after entering Ottawa. Today though, I read that you are supporting Dr. Ghanem and his criticism of Israeli policy. It seems that all too often critique of Israel, the nation, gets branded as anti-semitism by the war interests in this country and the so called opposition just goes scurrying for cover. Even moderates such as Jimmy Carter and Desmond Tutu have stated that Israel is an apartheid state. It is time to distinguish between critique of a nation and racism. I wish to commend you in your support of Dr. Ghanem being given a voice in the Green Party and your support of open dialogue on an essential issue. I want you to know that not everyone in the public who hears criticism of Israel is associating this with anti- semitism. I would also encourage the Canadian Greens to join the U.S. Greens in calling for a boycott and sanctions against Israel. The fact that Israel is armed to the gills with nuclear missiles and has them out of their silos aimed and ready to use against neighbouring nations that do not even possess one nuclear bomb makes Israel a danger to the health and safety of all of us. The fact that Harper has signed an agreement to allow the Israeli secret service to have access and greater involvement in Canadian military training and policy shows the dangers right here at home. Even within Israel itself their is a large and growing opposition to these terroristic policies. I feel that the opposition parties in Ottawa are entirely complicit in this war that is killing scores of innocent people every day and sending home more dead Canadians every week. I hope that you can maintain the teeth of your party as it enters parliament and hopefully change the dynamic of the dialogue there. It would be an absolute shame if the Green Party in it's eagerness to become a "mainstream" party should choose to join in the mainstream media's support of genocide simply because "it's good for the economy". Someone needs to take a stand in order for public opinion to begin to change (and for the public to even get the facts!) People have not heard a true alternative opinion in Ottawa because it just does not exist. I wish you the best and hope that you and the others in your party possess the fortitude and strength to make true change in Canada. Sincerely, Letter to the Editor of the G&M To the Editor: As a prospective federal legislator, Green candidate Dr. Ghanem in fact stands accused of nothing more than supporting International Law (“Green candidate accused of Israel-bashing gets May's support,” 5 Sep.). Moreover, in Ottawa he is a well-known community organizer, and founder of Potlucks for peace, a forum for Jewish and Arab Canadians to dialogue. That he earns criticism for his public efforts at peace, justice, dialogue and reconciliation tells us little about the candidate, yet much about the aims of his Canada-Israel Committee and the Canadian Jewish Congress critics. The Rev. Robert C. Assaly
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