When will Israeli nationalists in North America completely discredit themselves by overusing their power to crush those who defend Palestinians? Fortunately, every cancel and smear campaign it wages alienates some new people and opens others’ eyes.
Recently an individual with the Jewish Defense League was filmed defacing the storefront of the Foodbenders sandwich shop in Toronto in broad daylight. Nothing has happened to the perpetrator but the restaurant has faced negative consequences.
The Trudeau government’s record of voting against 50 UN resolutions affirming Palestinian rights undercut its effort to get on to the UN Security Council, and the blowback may lessen the influence of the Israel lobby in Canada. Because the truth is that the Canadian public doesn’t want the government pursuing anti-Palestinian positions.
The Trudeau government has been campaigning aggressively for a seat on the Security Council, but its bid to win a place on the United Nations’ most powerful decision-making body later this month will be hampered by Canada’s decidedly anti-Palestinian voting record.
Last week the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported that the Canada Revenue Agency, under pressure from Palestine solidarity activists, began an audit of the Jewish National Fund over projects linked to the Israeli military.
On Thursday lawyer Dimitri Lascaris called on two Liberal MPs to denounce death threats made by B’nai B’rith supporters against a number of other Liberal MPs and the Prime Minister. But instead of condemning those who called for politicians to face the “guillotine” or “stoning”, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) and Canadian politicians smeared the individual drawing attention to the death threats.
Netanyahu has demonstrated a clear willingness to distort Jewish suffering for Israel’s ends. And in like fashion Canada’s main Jewish organizations have also participated in this injustice to Palestinians and insult to Hitler’s victims, for their own political ends.