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Canada's new obsession: Moving away from peace to war by Samah Sabawi (Canada Palestine Support Network - Ottawa) Once again our Prime Minister Stephen Harper spoke of Israel's right to defend itself and put Israel's need for security above all others' in the region. Harper's latest statement in London which called Israel's response "measured" - was the strongest pro-Israel statement issued by a world leader. This was the second time Canada's support of Israel outshone even that of the US. The first time was when Canada was the first country in the world to announce its plans to cut off aid to the Palestinian government leaving the US having to contend with second place. Canada's new obsession with Israel's security needs is not only racist butit is also immoral. It must be stated that both state and individual security are fundamental human rights. However, what makes Harper's obsession racist is that it fails to see that while Israel has the absolute right to protect and offer security to its citizens, security of the Palestinians must also be a major concern. Unfortunately, when Israel held under siege and terrorized for weeks 1.4 million Palestinian civilians, there was no condemnation from our own government. What makes his obsession immoral is that he sanctions Israel's collective punishment of Palestinians and Lebanese civilians - thereby he sanctions acts considered crimes against humanity under international law. Under the Fourth Geneva Convention, Israel as the occupying power bears the responsibility for the welfare of the Palestinian population. Harper's conservative government turns a blind eye to the daily death toll of Palestinians and the calls for immediate action by Human Rights groups. According to a recent UN report, Darfur, Somalia and Gaza are the worst crisis in the world. Yet nothing is being said or done by the conservatives to address this man-made disaster - despite on going lobbying efforts in Ottawa by various Human Rights organizations. Much like the US administration and the Israeli government, Harper's conservatives seem to have an inability to learn how to speak "diplomacy". They seem to be eager to carry a big stick and join in the bashing fest. In their obsession to "root out Muslim Terrorists" these governments have become deaf to the cries of Jewish, Muslim and Christians in the region who don't want to lose any more loved ones. In its editorial on July 13, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz called with absolute clarity on Israel Not to launch another war in Lebanon. It reminded the readers that "Israeli governments have negotiated with Hezbollah in the past, under similar circumstances." adding that "It is also possible that if Israel had agreed to the principle of negotiations with the Hamas government, a deal would have been worked out for Shalit's release and Regardless how we as Canadians feel about Hamas and its terrible bloody past, had we and the international community encouraged the process of negotiations between Hamas and Israel we wouldn't be in this predicament today. Instead, we took sides in the conflict and empowered an already powerful aggressive occupying army. Canada's conservatives and the International community must understand that we have two paths we can take - a diplomatic path based on International Law that would lead to an end to an occupation that has dehumanized both occupier and occupied, or empowered by the words of Stephen Harper and George Bush, we can take the path of war and we can continue to escalate the conflict. Canada's opposition parties seem to be well aware of the dangerous path Stephen Harper has taking us on. Alexa McDonough, the National Democratic Party of Canada's foreign Affairs Critic issued a well balanced statement and followed it up with a letter to Peter Mackay our Minister of Foreign Affairs warning him that his government's "desire to appease George Bush is so all-consuming" that they were "prepared to turn a blind eye to the massive destruction in Gaza and in Lebanon, going so far as to deem these Israeli government assaults as 'measured'." McDonough's statement goes on to say "Even George Bush has been compelled to bow to international pressure and caution Israel to "limit as much as possible so-called collateral damage not only to facilities but also to human lives." The Liberal Party of Canada's Foreign Affairs critic also echoed some similar concern in his statement. Dr. Keith Martin said "The humanitarian and political situation in the Middle East has become critical.Civilians in the Middle East are dying from attacks, and from preventable diseases due to a lack of access to basic medications, clean water, and food. This upsurge in violence will result in the ongoing deaths of innocent civilians on all sides which will polarize communities away from each other, killing the peace process. While these events have been unfolding, the Canadian government has been silent." Since 2000, 121 Israeli children lost their precious lives at the hands of Palestinian militants, while more than four times as many - 734 Palestinian children were killed by the Israeli army. Wouldn't it be great if our government could grieve for all these children as opposed to valuing the lives of one side above the other? Sadly, until the next time we go to the polls, we will have to follow our conservative leader down a path of violence and prejudice. Canada has made its choice and has wondered away from the pillars of international law and all the norms of morality. On the ground, Lebanese, Israeli and Palestinian mothers are holding their breath and praying for an end to this madness. The fact is terrorism - both individual and state sponsored has won because we - Canadians - have allowed violence to be the only acceptable language. We strongly believe that every child in the region is entitled to security. We strongly believe that Canada as a member of the international community must call for an end to the violence and an immediate beginning to negotiations. ********* Samah Sabawi is available for speaking engagements. Please contact Canpalnet-Ottawa if you would like to book her to speak to your groups. |