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from Jack Layton Sept 30/04 Open letter to Jack Layton on NDP/Middle East September 22, 2004 Mr. Jack Layton, MP Leader New Democratic Party of Canada Ottawa, Ontario. Dear Jack: On August 10, 2004, I wrote to you on behalf of over 20 New Democrats who had serious concerns regarding the shift in NDP's Foreign Policy on the Middle East. We copied the e-mail to Secretary Chris Watson, President Adam Gambrione, Vice President Hassan Yussuff and Foreign Affairs citric Alexa McDonough. We failed to receive even an acknowledgement, let alone a response from either you or the other Party functionaries. We wrote again on August 20, 2004. Answering our message of August 20, you urged patience and promised that you will respond in detail soon. Nothing came forth. We sent you another reminder on September 1, and yet one more on September 16. To this date, we have had no reply to our concerns, as if both the issues raised and the undersigned, have ceased to exist. We are therefore forced to share this message with the members of the Federal NDP Council, Federal Caucus, and many more rank and file members of the Party in the hope that they may persuade the Party hierarchy, where we have failed. That is, to take the undersigned members seriously, with respect and dignity, and address in a meaningful way the legitimate concerns and issues raised by us. In a post 9/11 environment where the rights of racial minorities have already been compromised, the NDP should be the last place discrimination is practised; one that excludes us from the decision making process. Regrettably, the conduct of the Party leadership seems to demonstrate precisely that. We, the undersigned, are members of the NDP of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African background, who strongly believe in the inalienable right of Palestinians to have a viable, independent, and sovereign state, free of intimidation and occupation by Israel. We have stood by the Party through its good and bad times and have contributed to its strength, both in terms of time, commitment, as well as money, without asking for much in return. However, we do expect some respect and dignity, and the hope that the party will stick to its roots as a social democratic organization, committed to universal social justice and the ability to distinguish between the victim and victimizer. Over the years, the Party has more or less stayed on course and despite some lapses, has stayed true to the spirit of equity and justice. However, lately, we have noticed a subtle yet significant shift in the Party's stand on Palestine. This surprising shift has caused us serious concern and is the impetus for this letter to you. We were alarmed at the Party's silence on the building of Israel's Apartheid Wall and the NDP's inability to condemn this serious violation of UN Resolutions 242 and 343, as well as International Law. Initially, we thought this omission was due to the election campaign and a lack of resources. However, subsequent events have forced us to believe otherwise. The International Court of Justice in The Hague came out with a clear and unambiguous 14-1 decision asking Israel to tear down the wall being built on Palestinian territory. Once more the NDP maintained a suspicious silence. Not a word was said by either Alexa McDonough or you on Israel thumbing its nose at the world community. Then came the vote in the UN General Assembly where the entire world community; the European Union; the Association of African States; the East Asian ASEAN States; China; Russia; Latin America and traditional rivals, India and Pakistan; in fact the whole world spoke with a resounding voice asking Israel to tear down the wall. Paul Martin's Liberal government, in their first act at the UN, broke ranks with its European Allies and did not support this resolution, rejecting the ICJ Ruling. They joined a handful of other states and abstained. The NDP, instead of condemning this cowardly action of the Liberal Government, maintained a troubling silence, abandoning its traditional support for the rule of law and Canada's Palestinian community, as if they didn't exist or matter. The fact that some of us were directly affected by Israel's actions, was of little concern, it seemed, to the new NDP Caucus. The proverbial straw that broke the camel's back, was the news that the NDP Caucus had sent two MPs as guests of the Canada Israel Committee to visit Israel as part of a Parliamentary delegation, without any consultation with any of the undersigned, despite the fact that some of us are associated with the Party's International Affairs Committee. Had our MPs gone as an independent fact-finding mission to both Israel and Palestine, we could have understood their motives despite knowing the vocal pro-Israel position of the two MPs visiting Israel. However, this pro-Israel visit was not restricted to members of Parliament. We discovered that the President of the Party, a Toronto City Councillor, was also part of the delegation, giving it official legitimacy. Notwithstanding the President's individual and private effort to connect with Palestinians in the occupied territories, we feel by traveling with the CIC CJC sponsored group, he gives legitimacy to Israel's occupation. We cannot imagine the NDP meeting with General Motors management without first consulting with the CAW. Why then would it accept an invitation to Israel without consulting or informing us; people directly affected by Israel's occupation of Palestine. We would like to protest this deliberate exclusion of the undersigned. We have been deeply hurt and angered by this sudden lurch towards Israel and the new language coming from both you and the caucus that puts the victim and victimizer on the same plane. We may not have reacted with such alarm, had we not come across a document released recently by the Canadian Jewish Congress. This CJC document states as its objective, the need to influence the Left in Canada and to make it abandon support of the Palestinians while bringing it closer to Israel's positions. We are now worried that the recent tilt in the NDP towards Israel and the abandoning of its anti-occupation constituency, has come about as a result of lobbying and undue influence by the CJC and its partners within the NDP. We have no problem with the Caucus or the Executive meeting with the CJC or any other group, but we feel we have earned the right to know what transpires between the NDP and the CJC, as this seems to be affecting the historical position of the NDP with respect to the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. A shift that is troubling and problematic not just to Canadians of Middle Eastern, South Asian and African ancestry, but all equity-seeking citizens. It has led to a numbing of the NDP leadership to Israel's human rights violations and atrocities committed against the Palestinian people. Some of us believe that if we have to lead a marginalized existence in a pro-Israel political party, we might be better off elsewhere on the political spectrum. This may not be a wise step, but it is a reflection of the frustration some of us have with what we see as a deliberate exclusion pattern where we are not seen as worthy enough of full membership of this party that we all serve. As members of the NDP who have some degree of presence within the Middle Eastern, South Asian, African, and other visible minority communities, we feel we have a right to know who in the NDP is liaising with the CJC. We also need an assurance that the Foreign Policy of the NDP will be formulated democratically by the membership of the Party and not controlled by external lobbyists. We ask that the Party explicitly state its position on the ICJ ruling and the Liberal government's abstention from the vote at the UN. At the same time the Party Leadership must explain to the party membership its silence over these critical and historically NDP issues. We also need an assurance that we will not be shut out of the NDP Councils and Conventions by bureaucratic hurdles; that we will have access to and presence in the Resolutions Committee, and that those who chair the debates on such matters will not misuse their privileges to silence us. We speak from past experience when we have been shut out by rulings from the chair. We all look forward to meeting with you, Alexa McDonough, Chris Watson, and Adam Giambrone, so that these concerns can be addressed and we can move forward and prepare for the next elections. Looking forward to hearing from you. Arif Raza Raza Majid Kayani LLP Barristers and Solicitors Toronto Office: 207-2131 Lawrence Avenue East Toronto, ON M1R 5G4 Tel.: 416 752-9810 Fax.: 416 752-6356 On behalf of: 1. Hakim Abbasi, Ottawa 2. Jehad Aliweiwi, Toronto 3. Zafar Bangash, Thornhill 4. Tarek Fatah, Toronto 5. Ikram Freed, Etobicoke 6. Prof. Hassan Gardezi, Peterborough 7. Dr. Qais Ghanem, Ottawa 8. Jon Leah Hopkins, Vancouver 9. Rizwana Jafri, Toronto 10. Sungee John, Windsor 11. El-Farouk Khaki, Toronto 12. Mehdi Kouhestani, Toronto 13. Hanadi Loubani, Toronto 14. Ali Mallah, Scarborough 15. Monia Mazigh, Ottawa 16. Ali Naqvi, Oakville 17. Sami Odeh, Montreal 18. Munir Pervez, Mississauga 19. Frank Saptel, Toronto 20. Kripa Sehkar, Regina 21. Abbas Syed, Scarborough 22. Itrath Syed, Vancouver 23. Nargis Tapal, Toronto 24. Farkhanda Wakil, Saskatoon 25. Prof. Pervez Wakil, Saskatoon ************************* A Response to Arif Raza and 26 Other Canadians' Open Letter By Jack Layton, MP Al-Jazeerah, September 30, 2004 Dear Arif: Thank you for sharing your concerns regarding your perceptions of the New Democratic Party position towards the Middle East. I regret that this detailed response took as long as it has. When we spoke on the phone in response to your first letter, I had sincerely hoped to produce it more quickly. Fortunately, I can report to you that the perceptions that emerge from the communication you sent are incorrect. The position of the NDP on the Middle East has not changed. It remains true to the policies adopted by our convention and for which the NDP has been well known over many years. Let me elaborate. To be clear, the NDP believes the wall, constructed primarily on occupied land, is illegal and we supported the resolution at the United Nations that called for the International Court of Justice to issue an advisory opinion on the legal consequences of the wall. We supported the ICJ’s ruling that found the wall’s construction to be in violation of international law. Your letter incorrectly alleged the NDP has been silent on several key issues, notably the decision of the Sharon Administration to erect a 600-kilometre security wall. It is false to accuse the Party of remaining silent on this issue and I would point you to a statement made on February 27, 2004 in the House of Commons by Alexa McDonough, our foreign affairs critic. In her statement, which I support fully, Ms. McDonough clearly outlined the Party’s opposition to the construction of the wall and criticized the decision of Prime Minister Paul Martin to abstain from the vote at the United Nations in December 2003 calling on the International Court of Justice to render an advisory decision on the legality of the Israeli wall. She noted that, in October 2003, prior to Paul Martin becoming Prime Minister, Canada had taken a clear position at the United Nations based on international law, condemning the Israeli security wall on occupied Palestinian land. She said the Sharon Administration’s choice of location for the wall, “den[ies] desperate Palestinian families access to the agricultural land and aquifers, and intensi[fies] their hardship and humiliation.” Ms. McDonough also wrote to then-Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham on February 23, 2004 and called the change in Canada’s position on the wall worrisome and perplexing. She further called on Canada to be bold in its defence of the rule of international law and the role multilateral institutions can play in mitigating peaceful solutions. In May 2004, she co-chaired a Parliamentary roundtable to highlight the impact of the wall on lives of Palestinians, the guest speaker for which was the Hon. Zahira Karnal, Palestinian minister responsible for women and children. It is therefore not correct to portray the Party’s position to have shifted. It has not. We remain firmly committed to universal human rights, and a solution in the Middle East that reflects the right of the Palestinian people to statehood and self-determination and also the right of Israel to statehood and security. Our Member of Parliament, Libby Davies, participated in a parliamentary examination of the situation and is a signatory to an important report from that research. Alexa McDonough also conducted a research mission to the Middle East that has helped inform our position. I have conveyed our sentiments concerning the illegal wall directly to the Israeli Ambassador to Canada. With respect to the suggestions that the NDP has abandoned equity-seeking Canadians, I really must set the record straight. Our Party remains steadfast in its opposition to racial profiling and has submitted legislation to this effect. Our Party also objected to sweeping security laws such as Bill C-36, and continues to do so. I am proud to lead a Party that consistently takes principled positions advancing equality for all citizens. Accusations to the contrary do not fit with the facts and do not reflect the proud record of the Party, through many leaders, of consistently standing for equality, with positions democratically arrived at through the Party’s structures. We also made significant efforts to recruit candidates from the diverse communities of Canada to represent us in the recent election. While we did not achieve all our goals, we made very significant progress and are rightly proud of those candidates who did present themselves. I have been in discussion with all our candidates about how we can continue to grow in this area and how we can keep them involved in the Party's activism. Can we do even better on these issues? I have no doubt. Given that neither the NDP’s Middle East position has changed, nor has the Party shirked its obligation and our commitment to speak on issues affecting human rights, it is inaccurate to attempt to link the recent trip by two of our MPs to Israel with any change in NDP policy. It is also factually inaccurate to characterize the trip as one in which the caucus “sent” MPs to Israel. On this occasion, the two NDP MPs accepted this trip and, because the House was not in session, the NDP Whip’s Office was not notified. Your suggestion that there should be consultative processes prior to trips by MPs is a useful one and I will certainly raise this with caucus members. I would be happy, as would the Party President, Federal Secretary and Ms. McDonough, to meet with you at a time of mutual convenience to discuss this issue further. I believe that this would be very important and useful. Sincerely, Jack Layton, MP Leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada Your Comments canpalnet-ottawa.org |