Canada’s defeat in its bid for a seat on the United Nations Security Council is a major victory for Palestinian solidarity. It also puts Canada’s Israel lobby on the defensive.
Israeli politicians and commentators have begun to publicly bemoan the loss, to rivals Ireland and Norway, which will gain seats on the council. Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, told the Jerusalem Post, “we are disappointed that Canada didn’t make it, both because we have close ties with the country and because of the campaign that the Palestinians ran against Canada.” In another story in that paper headlined, “With annexation looming, Canada’s UNSC upset is bad news for Israel, US,” Deputy Managing Editor Tovah Lazaroff labels Canada’s loss “a sharp reminder of the type of diplomatic price tag Israel’s allies can suffer on the international stage.”
Inside Canada the Security Council defeat is a blow to the Israel lobby. While the Canadian media has generally minimized the impact Canada’s anti-Palestinian position had on the vote, the subject is being raised. In a Journal de Québec column titled “Why did Canada suffer a humiliating defeat at the UN?” Norman Lester writes, “it is the support of the Trudeau Liberal government for Israel, like that of Harper before him, that is probably the main reason for Ottawa’s two successive setbacks. Ireland and Norway have more balanced policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict than Canada.” He concludes the article by noting, “Canada has no chance of returning to the Security Council in the foreseeable future unless there is a radical change in its position regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
By acquiescing almost entirely to the ‘Israel no matter what’ outlook of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) and B’nai B’rith, the Trudeau government undercut its bid for a seat on the UN’s highest decision-making body. The Israel lobby’s point people in the Liberal caucus, Anthony Housefather and Michael Levitt, are no doubt hoping to avoid too much blowback for their role in this embarrassment. Housefather ought to be prodded on his contribution to the Trudeau government’s anti-Palestinian voting record at the UN since he repeatedly boasted that it was more pro-Israel than Stephen Harper’s.
Canada’s voting record at the UN was at the heart of the grassroots No Canada on the UN Security Council campaign. An open letter launching the campaign from the Canadian Foreign Policy Institute noted, “since coming to power the Trudeau government has voted against more than fifty UN resolutions upholding Palestinian rights backed by the overwhelming majority of member states.” A subsequent open letter was signed by over 100 civil society groups and dozens of prominent individuals urging countries to vote against Canada’s bid for a Security Council seat due to its anti-Palestinian positions. That letter organized by Just Peace Advocates stated, “the Canadian government for at least a decade and a half has consistently isolated itself against world opinion on Palestinian rights at the UN. … Continuing this pattern, Canada ‘sided with Israel by voting No’ on most UN votes on the Question of Palestine in December. Three of these were Canada’s votes on Palestinian Refugees, on UNRWA and on illegal settlements, each distinguishing Canada as in direct opposition to the ‘Yes’ votes of Ireland and Norway.”
Just Peace Advocates organized 1,300 individuals to email all UN ambassadors asking them to vote for Ireland and Norway instead of Canada for the Security Council. In a sign of the campaign’s impact, Canada’s permanent representative to the UN Marc André Blanchard responded with a letter to all UN ambassadors defending Canada’s policy on Palestinian rights.
Not only has Canada’s voting record on Palestinian rights undercut its standing within the General Assembly, the Canadian public doesn’t want the government pursuing anti-Palestinian positions. A recent Ekos poll found that 74% of Canadians wanted Ottawa to express opposition to Israel’s plan to formally annex a large swath of the West Bank with 42% of the public desiring some form of economic and/or diplomatic sanction against Israel if it moves forward with annexation. “The Trudeau government has not only isolated Canada from international opinion regarding Palestinian rights at the UN, but its positions contravene the wishes of most Canadians regarding the long-beleaguered Palestinians,” explained Karen Rodman of Just Peace Advocates.
While the impact of the loss shouldn’t be exaggerated, Justin Trudeau’s brand is linked to the idea that he is liked internationally. Additionally, the Liberals’ base supports the UN and the international body is closely connected with how they market their foreign policy.
Kowtowing to CIJA, B’nai B’rith and Israeli nationalists such as Housefather, Levitt, etc. on Palestinian rights at the UN helped scuttle Canada’s Security Council bid — that’s a fact Trudeau and the Liberals must face. More important, the international community’s rejection of a government enthralled to the Israel lobby weakens Israel diplomatically and is a victory for Palestine solidarity.
Also:
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/with-annexation-looming-canadas-unsc-upset-is-bad-news-for-israel-us-632072
“With annexation looming, Canada’s UNSC upset is bad news for Israel, US.” By TOVAH LAZAROFF, Jerusalem Post, June 20/20
EXCERPTS:
“In the run-up to this week’s elections, pro-Palestinian groups campaigned against Canada, specifically highlighting its strong ties to Israel.”
“Outside of the United States, Canada has been one of Israel’s staunchest friends at the UN. Like the US, it holds that the UN’s treatment of Israel is biased. Canada has risen unequivocally to its defense, casting ‘no’ votes almost as dependably and frequently as the US.”
“It’s reputation as a friend of Israel is so strong that there is much speculation that it failed to obtain a UNSC seat, its second loss in 10 years, specifically due to its pro-Israel stances.”
Nor should it be forgotten that poll after poll has revealed that the majority of Canadians stand with the Palestinians, not “Israel.”
This is so heartening in many ways. Yet when I read that the Trudeau government voted over 50 times against upholding Palestinian rights, I felt so disappointed that Trudeau would vote against human rights, and easing the suffering of occupied people. It seems just like the US, the Canadians are beholden to Israel, and have despicable lobbies, working to make sure politicians toe the zionist line, and do their bidding. All this to appease 1 percent of Jews who live there?
Congratulations to all the good people who worked hard to send Canada (and maybe other nations) a strong message. Your work has been rewarded. Now all we can do is hope that Justin Trudeau will re-think his support for Israel and come to his senses.
Yes, but, Justin Trudeau, unlike his gifted and courageous father, Pierre, has been an embarrassment for many Canadians well before the vote for a temporary seat on the Security Council.
He was badly mauled in the recent election. He represents now just under one-third of Canadian voters.
Going eagerly for that seat was Justin Trudeau trying to claim a new spotlight in world affairs, to build himself up a bit after his serious political defeat. It was in fact a selfish effort, and he was out of the country campaigning for the seat a couple of times when there were urgent matters at home
He had absolutely nothing to offer. He lacks the skills and talents of his much-honored father, but, worse, he echoes American foreign policy. The Security Council didn’t need another echo of America.
His support for Trump’s activities in the world would have appalled his father.
Canada is chair of the CIA-front organization, the Lima Group, trying to topple a twice-elected government in Venezuela.
Trudeau says nothing against new American attacks against Cuba, a country with which his father had established a warm relationship in defiance of American opposition.
Trudeau has literally destroyed Canada’s previous excellent relations with China, thanks entirely to compliance with the Trump line.
He arrested one of China’s most important high-tech executives, Meng Wanzhou of Huawei, at American request, he botched step after step in trying to repair relations, including firing an able Canadian ambassador and once running down to Trump to get help out of the mess. He even sent a Canadian destroyer through the Taiwan Strait at American request. Just blundering in all his efforts.
Trudeau says nothing about Syria or Iraq or Yemen or Somalia.
He says nothing about the open theft proposed by Trump’s Mideast “Plan.”
Trudeau, except for a token quibble in the past, says nothing about the horrors of Saudi Arabia. Indeed, he’s busy selling them Canadian armored cars.
CONT’D…
CONT’D…
Justin has virtually abandoned the reputation built up in international affairs over half a century by Liberal leaders like his father, Lester Pearson, Paul Martin, and Jean Chretien. It was a proud legacy of independent and humane policies.
When Canada’s Conservatives win an election, they are automatically deferential to America. But the Liberals, for many decades, represented something else. Justin Trudeau has thrown it foolishly all away.
https://www.justpeaceadvocates.ca/canadas-security-council-defeat-is-a-win-for-palestine/
Just Peace Advocates, June 17/20
“Canada’s Security Council Defeat is a Win for Palestine”
EXCERPTS:
“The Trudeau government’s anti-Palestinian voting record at the UN undoubtedly contributed to its failure to gain a seat on the Security Council,” said Karen Rodman. ‘Those who support Palestinian rights should rejoice.’
“’The Liberals have voted against dozens of UN resolutions defending Palestinian rights, threatened to cut funding to the International Criminal Court for investigating Israeli crimes, protected Israeli settlement wine producers, celebrated Canadians who fight in the Israeli military and slandered the pro-Palestinian movement’, explained Rodman. ‘Chrystia Freeland even told an Israeli audience Canada would act as an ‘asset for Israel’ if it won a seat on the UN’s most powerful decision-making body.’”
“The Trudeau government has not only isolated Canada from international opinion regarding Palestinian rights at the UN, but its positions contravene the wishes of most Canadians regarding the long beleaguered Palestinians according to a recent Ekos poll”, explained Rodman.
“’By rejecting Canada’s Security Council bid the international community also delivered a blow to the Israel lobby’, noted Rodman. ‘The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and B’nai B’rith shouldn’t be determining Canada’s voting at the UN.'” (cont’d)