The bigotry of leftist governments is unconscionable
Biden and Trudeau are among the worst bigots by far
The unforgiveable attack on innocent Israeli’s by Hamas has captured headlines worldwide and brought out long-standing biases including rampant anti-Semitism on the one hand and Islamaphobia on the other. Leaders are quick to take sides while thousands of innocent Israeli and Palestinian civilians are killed in a war that has its roots in the creation of the State of Israel following WWII applying the concept initially put forward by the 1917 Balfour Declaration in Britain. Balfour contemplated creating two new states in the area formerly under British Rule after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire - a Jewish State (where none had existed) and a new Arab State to host the majority Arab population.
In the event, world leaders thorugh the League of Nations and later the United Nations did create the State of Israel but did not create the State of Palestine. Israel became a thriving democratic nation with an exemplary constitution and governance providing health care, pensions, free speech, fair and open elections and all of the hallmarks of democracies valued by the West. The rest of the region became an open air prison for Arabs whose families had lived in the region for centuries ignoring the reality that they comprised the majority of the population.
The inevitable conflict of values was exacerbated by the Jewish belief that the lands (now called the settlements) were given to them by God and comprised part of the “promised land”. This dogma led to Israel seizing land from Arabs and confining about two million Arabs to an area called the Gaza strip about half the size of the Greater Toronto Area. Throughout history, an elitist minority able to control and arguably oppress and less powerful majority has led to violence and the Mid-East is no exception.
Anti-Semitism, always present in many western countries, became more open with ugly attacks on ordinary citizens simply because of their Jewish faith. Ever eager to manipulate a crisis for political benefit, Biden and Trudeau rush to the fore with bigoted policies that exacerbate an already deadly conflict.
The bigotry is manifested by Western democracies providing money and arms to Israel, explicitly taking sides in the conflict and eliciting a predictable reaction from Arabs worldwide. Muslims in Britain, North America and Europe were joined by students at Ivy League schools in pro-Palestinian protests while Biden and Trudeau express solid support for Israel and the war rages on with thousands of civilians losing their lives and livelihoods. Tens of thousands of Arabs in Yemen, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Europe took to the streets in massive anti-Israeli protests. In parallel, with similarly predictable reactions, members of Congress and Parliament with ties to Arab countries make pro-Palestine speeches and add fuel to the divisive rhetoric. Rahsida Tlaib puts a Palestinian flag outside her office and attacks Israel for its self-defense. NDP member of Parliament Sara Jama gets expelled from the NDP caucus for criticicism of the Israeli response calling it an “occupation” and linking the violence to Israeli settlements. Leftists labour unions immediately rush to Jama’s support. More division, more acrimony, no movement towards peace in the mid-East.
Choosing sides in a foreign conflict increases the intractability of the conflict and does nothing to ease the stand off. Instead of diplomacy, Biden and Trudeau fuel a widening of the chasm between Arab and Jew. Donald Trump, for all his many faults, made real progress in bringing the sides together with the Abraham accord and Biden was making progress in mediating a closer relationship between Saudi Arabia and Israel - until he chose to side with Israel in the current conflict and the initiative failed. Trueau is all talk and no action, a weak leader in a failing political party likely heading for a resounding defeat next election.
Canada needs to enforce its anti-hate laws. There is no room in Canada for anti-Semitism nor for hatred of Muslims simply because of their faiths. Free speech can be protected while forcefully putting down hate speech. It is fine to protest in support of Israel or march in support of Palestine but neither protest can be permitted to devolve into diatribes about Jews or Arabs.
We used to elect statesmen as leaders in Washington and Ottawa. Now we elect ideologues. Ronald Reagan on the right and Lester B. Pearson on the left were true statesmen. Biden and Trudeau are not. The result is greater division that serves us poorly.
Talk all you want about land ownership & politics but ...
Nothing, repeat nothing can justify the Hamas/Palestinian slaughter of Israelis. To protest for Palestine is to support death & terrorism
I stand with Israel
If you support Hamas you support terrorism
I am Christian
I am sorry for the personal hardships that you and your family have experienced.
Just the same, Israel is not after civilians and is the only nation that has ever warned civilians that attacks are forthcoming. Unfortunately Hamas is hiding behind their skirts and using them as shields. I lived through WW2 in a country that was occupied by the Nazis so I do have personal experience in that respect. No food, no fuel, people dying of starvation and yes, by bombing. I am not Jewish but they have more than 6 million reasons for their course of action.