August 12, 2008

Canadian Dimension - Rae flip-flops over Israel on Parliament

OTTAWA, ON- Aug 6th, 2008- what began as a fairly balanced description of the historical record of the creation of Israel in Palestine, quickly became yet another bipartisan speech of the Liberal party. Strongly criticizing Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party's actions in regard to Israel/Palestine, Liberal Party External Affairs critic Bob Rae failed to provide any concrete actions his own party intends to take.

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NOTE: Although Bob Rae's position on Palestine leaves much to be desired, he is to be given credit for actually engaging in this event sponsored by the National Council on Canada Arab Relations (NCCAR). The Harper Conservatives have refused to meet with any Arab or Muslim organizations. It seems that they have labelled them all as terrorists and they do not engage in dialogue with "terrorists". Jack Layton recently allowed himself to be bullied by pro-Zionist members of the party into withdrawing the NDP's support for the Durban II conference on racism because according to those who will not tolerate any criticism of Israeli policies, Durban I was a festival of anti-Semitism. Elizabeth May of the Green Party is a strong supporter of Palestinian rights but not all Green candidates are informed or sympathetic to the Palestinian cause. Although it is safe to say that people concerned about the so called war on terror, peace and Palestine should not vote Conservative, all candidates must be evaluated on their own merit.

Meanwhile, the pro-Zionist media seems to be quite pleased with Bob Rae's performance.....

Jewish Tribune - Rae defends Israel to hostile crowd

by Lynne Cohen

OTTAWA – It was only for four days, and only with his wife Arlene Perly Rae, but the June trip to Israel for former Ontario Premier and MP Bob Rae was “highly educational and a great time,” he told a packed room on Parliament Hill last Wednesday afternoon.

After that, everything the External Affairs Parliamentary Critic of the Liberal Party said during his 30-minute lecture was highly controversial – at least judging by the eight to 10 questions asked by audience members after the main talk – and bipartisan.

After offering a balanced view of Israel’s creation, Rae’s talk veered quickly into strong criticism of Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party’s policies regarding Israel and the Palestinian Authority. However, he failed to outline what specific action the Liberal Party would take, relying on generalities without explanation, including “recognition of two states, new governance of Jerusalem, limited right of return and generous funding of a Palestinian state.”

During the question-and-answer session, Rae seemed to have a different story.
Rae found himself defending the state of Israel to its armchair critics in Canada. He faced a crowd of some 300 attendees who came at the invitation of the two groups sponsoring the lecture: the National Council on Canada Arab Relations (NCCAR) and the Middle East Discussion.

But the question-and-answer session revealed the audience’s mood and the MP’s defensiveness on many Israel issues.

Every question began with a veiled statement of hatred for Israel and each question touched on the same tired and successfully refuted accusations that have been thrown at Israel for the past decade. In some cases, Rae dodged an impossible question, and in others, he ignored ridiculous statements.

For the first question, a man said: “We are happy you said you would give the exact same talk to a Jewish group, but you did not utter one word about Israel’s [nuclear] warheads. You did not utter one word about the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in 1948.” His question was:  “To what extent was ethnic cleansing a fact of 1948?”

Rae sort of answered: “Yes, the Palestinians left land that the Israelis took. But many Palestinians stayed, and are still there. They are full citizens of Israel. By comparison, the Jews have left every Arab country since that time.”

He noted that “the refugee problem is an issue that must be dealt with, with both the United Nations’ and Canada’s continued support.” But nothing will get done, Rae said, as long as each side says categorically, “‘My version is correct.’ That is not helpful.”

The second question asked about the viability of a two-state solution “as long as there is extremism, including Jewish, Christian and Muslim.”

Rae pointed out that the two-state policy is “everyone’s, including the PLO’s, since 1993. It is the policy of Canada.”

Then he defended the existence of Israel.

“The reality is that the Jewish state exists. It is a practical fact. Also, a viable Palestinian state is in the interests of the Palestinians and the world.”

Another questioner gave a lecture of his own. He denounced Israel for denying “Palestinian refugees a right of return. International law gives every refugee the right of return. Since 1967 Israel has expanded the settlements. They have added roads and utilities and connections to each other’s settlement. This problem has become more severe since Camp David.”

He talked about security forces protecting Jewish settlements in the West Bank, and “Israeli defence forces flying military training missions in ‘Palestinian air space.’ With all of this there is no right of return. The peace process is going nowhere. Both [major] political parties in Canada support what is going on.” The audience clapped.

Veering off the immediate topic, Rae responded: “We can have a dialogue as well as a debate. But we have to look at the practical matters. Some of the settlements are physically integrated into Israel. For any Palestinian state to work it must have a workable government. It must have a workable economy. It may be unachievable [right now]. Israeli public opinion must accept whatever [is created]. Nothing can be accomplished if we don’t understand the desires of each side.”

A representative from UNWRA – the United Nations Works and Relief Agency, set up specifically for Palestinian refugees –  couched her complaints in less stark terms: “We always admired Canada’s position based on humanitarian concerns. But we are disappointed to see Canada being silent lately [about what is going on in the Middle East]. What can Canada do to reassert its moral leadership?”

Rae seemed comfortable with this question.

“We clearly have to revitalize after Madrid,” he said, referring to the Madrid Conference in 1991 that built the framework for future negotiations with Israel.

“There are meetings going on between the two sides right now between officials, but you must remember that we are at the end of the Bush mandate. Canada alone cannot find the solution to the problem.”

An angry participant asked: “I am concerned that throughout the lecture you never once touched on the illegality of the settlements.”

Rae: “I’m a lawyer. Since 1967, we do not see the legality of the settlements, or recognize Gaza or east Jerusalem as [part of Israel]. But in the context of [United Nations] Resolution 242, these lands must be included as part of a broader settlement. And there must be flexibility.”

Referring to the 1967 UN policy, Rae alluded to the fact that Resolution 242 does not state that Israel – or any country – is obliged to give back land taken in a defensive war.

Rae did not respond directly to this question: “You say public opinion is important in Israel for a Palestinian state. What about Palestinian opinion about an Israeli state?” Or this question: “How long is it legitimate for an occupation to last?” Rae answered with his own question: “What is occupied? All of Israel? Is this question rhetorical? Its neighbours need to accept Israel. It is a problem and a challenge.”

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Originally published August 12, 2008 in www.jewishtribune.ca

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