Svend as a paintbrush

Editorial

So, NDP member of Parliament Svend Robinson is back on Canadian soil. (See Canada story in April Archives.) And what did our wandering supporter of dubious causes learn from his travels?

He heard things that reinforced his view that the Palestinians are the victims of a “brutal, violent” occupation. And how did he solidify this conclusion? Did he live in the West Bank for 15 years? Did he participate in day-to-day life in Israel near the Green Line? Did he talk to those Palestinians who took advantage of Israel’s once prospering economy to make a good living for themselves? Did he visit victims of suicide bombers in hospital? Did he talk to pro-Israel government strategists, military historians or political pundits?

No, he spoke to Palestinians who are currently living in the West Bank and Israelis who dislike Ariel Sharon. Well, when you purposely avoid talking to anyone who disagrees with your previously established viewpoint, it should not be a big surprise that your opinion remains as narrow-minded and one-sided as it was before.

And as for the assurances he received from Palestinian leaders that a Palestinian state would not curtail human rights, one can only guess what naiveté-inducing drug was present in his café hafuch (latté) when they were meeting. A Palestinian leader has the ear of a western parliamentarian. What do you think he’s going to say, Svend?

It would be one thing if Robinson were a lone, unaffiliated MP, who liked to take up controversial causes out of the Canadian spotlight. But as the foreign affairs critic for the federal NDP, his views, and especially his actions, tarnish the whole party. And, as Bob Rae commented in the National Post on Tuesday, Svend’s brush is one with which not every NDPer wants to be painted.

While Svend’s escapades are not the worst of NDP woes, he’s certainly not doing anything to help the party, either.

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