LEFT JAB

Rogues’ (parliamentary) gallery

by John Bell

Despite those who prevented the aid-bearing Gaza flotilla from sailing, the attention of the world was once again focused on the siege that Palestinians endure under the Israeli apartheid regime.

Hats off to the shipload of captains who attempted to take the Tahrir—the Canadian boat to Gaza—through the blockade. A blockade instigated by Israel, maintained by the bankrupt (in more ways than one) Greek regime, and surreptitiously bolstered by the Canadian state.

It was no coincidence that, in the midst of reporting on the flotilla and the blockade, a report from the Canadian Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Anti-Semitism (CPCCA) was released to grab back the front pages.

The Globe and Mail dutifully offered this headline: “Anti-Semitism on the rise at Canadian universities, committee says.” Predictably, the National Post ran hard with the story: “Anti-Semitism on Canadian university campuses is a growing threat and the Canadian government needs to do more to tackle hate crimes against Jews, a parliamentary inquiry has found.”

A more accurate headline would have been: “Self-appointed Coalition reaches foregone conclusion.”
Founded in 2009, the CPCCA is made up of MPs and Senators from the Tories, Liberals and NDP. What of the fourth party? “The Bloc Québécois pulled out of the committee last March citing the ‘the inequality of opinions presented before the Coalition,’ and ‘the refusal of the Steering Committee to hear groups with opposing viewpoints’” (Globe and Mail, Nov. 8, 2010)

The CPCCA is not an “official” parliamentary body. It is a self-selected club made up of unabashedly pro-Israel politicians like Bob Rae, Carolyn Bennett, Jason Kenney and Scott Reid. I presume there is a parliamentary bird-watching caucus too, which in my mind would be a much better use of our MPs’ time. Until he lost his seat in the recent election, Liberal Mario Silva chaired the group and it is he who authored this most recent report on the “new anti-Semitism.”

The enthusiasm of these Liberals and Conservatives mirrors the policy of their governments, past and present.

The presence of NDPers like Pat Martin (he led the charge to drop the word “socialism” from the party’s platform at the recent convention) and Peter Stoffer is more problematic. The membership of the NDP has been coming to grips with Israeli apartheid at recent conventions, debating and passing Palestinian solidarity motions. These MPs are acting in opposition to the democratic will of their own party.

You may recall that after a fact-finding trip to the occupied territories, NDP MP Libby Davies publicly endorsed the campaign for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel. Her actions received howls of condemnation, including many from her own party. A groundswell of support from the party’s membership and activist supporters helped her weather the storm.

Many, if not all members of the CPCCA have been recipients of free trips and tours conducted by the Israeli government. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that in 2009, free trips to Israel for Canadian parliamentarians outnumbered any other destination by two to one. In that year alone 24 Canadian politicians (74 when you add in all the spouses and children) were recipients of free trips courtesy of the Canada-Israel Committee. This is just the tip of the iceberg of big money-lobbying and favour-buying by pro-Zionists in Canada and Israel.

Of course, there is no need for perks or favours to win the support of Stephen Harper to the Zionist cause. His 2010 speech to the Inter-Parliamentary Coalition for Combating Anti-Semitism (the international equivalent of the CPCCA) defined the “new anti-Semitism”:

“Harnessing disparate anti-American, anti-Semitic and anti-Western ideologies, it targets the Jewish people by targeting the Jewish homeland, Israel, as the source of injustice and conflict in the world and uses, perversely, the language of human rights to do so. We must be relentless in exposing this new anti-Semitism for what it is.”

Harper

By fusing the Israeli state with the Jewish people, the rhetorical parlour trick that is the essence of the CPCCA’s latest report, Harper makes it clear that Israel can do no wrong, in his eyes as in Canadian policy:

“As long as I am Prime Minister, whether it is at the United Nations, the Francophonie, or anywhere else, Canada will take that stand whatever the cost. I say this, not just because it is the right thing to do, but because history shows us, and the ideology of the anti-Israeli mob tell us all too well if we listen to it, that those who threaten the existence of the Jewish people are a threat to all of us.”

Harper has already demonstrated to the world that he means what he says. When Israel’s unwarranted 2006 invasion of Lebanon took over 1,000 civilian lives, Harper described the invasion as a “measured” response. When Israel Defence Forces deliberately targeted a UN peacekeeping observation post, killing Canadian Maj. Paeta Hess-von Kruedene on duty with the UN, Harper raised barely a peep of objection.

The 2006 Lebanon invasion was a turning point in popular Canadian opinion toward Israel and Palestine. Many people began to question and re-evaluate Canada’s unswerving support. Israel’s occupation and stranglehold over Palestinian territory was rightly described as apartheid. More and more anti-Zionist Jews made their voices heard—dismissed as “self-hating Jews” by the Israel lobby. Tactics to isolate Israel, including boycott, divestment and sanctions, gained support.

The “anti-Israel mob” looked to include a majority of Canadians. But a massive propaganda offensive was launched, including the creation of the CPCCA, to label any criticism of Israel as “anti-Semitic.”
Let’s be clear: there are anti-Semitic bigots in Canada. And Palestinian solidarity activists have a duty to expose and exclude them.

The real agenda here is to stifle freedom of speech, academic freedom, and legitimate debate. The next time the world’s attention is turned toward Israel’s trampling of human rights, don’t be surprised to see another timely report from the CPCCA.