ROBIN SHEPHERD ON STEPHEN HARPER
http://www.robinshepherdonline.com/canadian-premier-says-punished-at-un-for-supporting-israel-but-declares-enemies-of-israel-enemies-of-us-all/#more-3384
Canadian Premier says punished at UN for supporting Israel, but declares enemies of Israel enemies of us all
There is a fascinating story this week from Canada whose prime minister, Stephen Harper, has said openly what many of us have long suspected about the costs to a country of supporting the Jewish state in international bodies such as the UN. According to the Toronto Star, Harper said that his country’s steadfast refusal to join the anti-Israeli chorus cost Canada a place on the United Nations Security council when revolving places on it recently came up for selection. Those places were taken by Germany and Portugal.
“Whether it is at the United Nations or any other international forum, the easy thing to do is simply to just get along and go along with this anti-Israeli rhetoric,” Harper was quoted as telling a Canadian interparliamentary conference on combating anti-Semitism. “As long as I am Prime Minister, whether it is at the UN or the Francophonie or anywhere else, Canada will take a stand whatever the cost,” he said.
Countries such as Britain and France, of course, take a different view. But, in another story on Harper’s remarks from Agence France Presse, Harper had a message for them which they would do well to take on board. He said people should have no truck with the anti-Israeli agenda, “Not just because it is the right thing to do, but because history shows us, and the ideology of the anti-Israel mob tell us all too well, that those who threaten the existence of the Jewish people are in the longer term a threat to all of us.”
Bravo Canada! But in a sign of how far the demonisation of Israel has penetrated the opinion forming classes, see this as a response to Harper from the Canadian chapter of Independent Jewish Voices which rebutted Harper’s views, especially his references to the Holocaust as being in any way relevant to the discussion:
“The fact the Holocaust was a terrible crime and terrible tragedy . . . it has absolutely nothing to do with justifying similar — not similar in the sense of the same scope — violations of human rights and of the people of Palestine,” said Diana Ralph.
The Toronto Star added that “Ralph claims the real threat is from the new McCarthyism, and not from the so-called new anti-Semitism”.
Shame, shame, nothing but shame…
There is a fascinating story this week from Canada whose prime minister, Stephen Harper, has said openly what many of us have long suspected about the costs to a country of supporting the Jewish state in international bodies such as the UN. According to the Toronto Star, Harper said that his country’s steadfast refusal to join the anti-Israeli chorus cost Canada a place on the United Nations Security council when revolving places on it recently came up for selection. Those places were taken by Germany and Portugal.
“Whether it is at the United Nations or any other international forum, the easy thing to do is simply to just get along and go along with this anti-Israeli rhetoric,” Harper was quoted as telling a Canadian interparliamentary conference on combating anti-Semitism. “As long as I am Prime Minister, whether it is at the UN or the Francophonie or anywhere else, Canada will take a stand whatever the cost,” he said.
Countries such as Britain and France, of course, take a different view. But, in another story on Harper’s remarks from Agence France Presse, Harper had a message for them which they would do well to take on board. He said people should have no truck with the anti-Israeli agenda, “Not just because it is the right thing to do, but because history shows us, and the ideology of the anti-Israel mob tell us all too well, that those who threaten the existence of the Jewish people are in the longer term a threat to all of us.”
Bravo Canada! But in a sign of how far the demonisation of Israel has penetrated the opinion forming classes, see this as a response to Harper from the Canadian chapter of Independent Jewish Voices which rebutted Harper’s views, especially his references to the Holocaust as being in any way relevant to the discussion:
“The fact the Holocaust was a terrible crime and terrible tragedy . . . it has absolutely nothing to do with justifying similar — not similar in the sense of the same scope — violations of human rights and of the people of Palestine,” said Diana Ralph.
The Toronto Star added that “Ralph claims the real threat is from the new McCarthyism, and not from the so-called new anti-Semitism”.
Shame, shame, nothing but shame…
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