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October 3, 2008
Liberals talk to community
Canada-Israel friendship deep and Harper twists truth: Rae.
CYNTHIA RAMSAY
According to the Hon. Bob Rae, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Conservative party have "twisted" the Mideast debate over the last few years. Contrary to Harper's contentions, said Rae, the Liberal position on Israel has always been clear: "our friendships are deep," the "connections are broad" and they transcend the Jewish community to all those who hold Israel dear.
Rae, who was the premier of Ontario from 1990 to 1995 and who ran for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada in 2006, spoke briefly at a meet-and-greet Sept. 21 to discuss some of the issues that matter to Vancouver's Jewish community. The informal afternoon gathering was hosted by federal Liberal candidate for Vancouver-Kingsway Wendy Yuan at the home of her campaign co-chair, Mike Hillman. The main topic was how to win back Jewish community members to the Liberal party. While several other issues came up – such as helping the poor, child care and other "Liberal values" – the main concern discussed was Israel.
Rae, who is married to a Jewish woman, stressed that Canada supports wholeheartedly, without qualification or hesitation, the right of Israel to exist free of violence within recognized borders – and that it has done so since the United Nations partition resolutions in 1946-1948. As well, he said, Canada has always supported peace negotiations and a two-state solution in the region.
The prime minister's claims about the Liberal party's views on Israel are "complete nonsense," contended Rae. He added that Canada has never recognized the post-'67 boundaries of Israel, has never accepted the building of settlements and has always recognized the need to resolve the refugee and Jerusalem issues. These have been Canada's positions, said Rae, all the while remaining supportive and friendly with Israel; he gave the example of Hamas and Hezbollah being named as terror organizations under a Liberal-led federal government.
As well, Canada's votes at the United Nations have been no different under the Conservative government than they were before, continued Rae. Under Harper, he said, there have been eight times in which the government of Canada has joined in criticism or censure of Israel, but Harper and his associates have been allowed to get away with statements about Rae, certain other Liberals and the Liberal party that are false. (The Canada-Israel Committee website lists and explains Canada's voting record at the UN at www.cicweb.ca/voteatun.)
"We have to be completely consistent in what we say," said Rae. He told the small gathering that he has no tolerance for politicians who say one thing to one group and another to another group, and that he recently gave the same speech he was giving at this Jewish community event – regarding Israel's right to exist and a two-state solution – to an Arab group.
Canada's federal government will always have things to say about the conduct of foreign governments, noted Rae, and to dismiss critics of Israel as anti-Semitic, as Conservatives have done to Liberals, lowers the quality of discussion.
"If Canada wants to play an active role to finding a solution to the conflict in the Middle East, it does mean that Canada will have to have relationships with governments of which we don't approve," said Rae, giving the example of Syria. He noted that there are issues to be resolved regarding such countries and that there were Jewish refugees who fled from Arab countries.
He then invoked the memory of Nobel laureate Lester B. Pearson, who won the prize for his suggestion to create an emergency UN force to keep peace at the borders during negotiations after the 1956 conflict in the Sinai; a stance Rae said would have been criticized by the Jewish community.
Canada has to keep on fighting anti-Semitism and racism, he continued, but it also needs to be emphatic about finding a solution to the conflict, which sometimes puts Canada at odds with Israel. Harper's position has made a constructive contribution by Canada impossible, he argued, explaining that the perception, not just by Palestinians, but by other countries, is that Canada has lost its impartiality.
Liberals have to be less apologetic, said Rae, pointing out that many of the Liberal views on the conflict are the same as those of many Israelis. In Jerusalem, he said, his views would be middle of the road, while here, in Canada, they are not firm enough for many Jews.
If Harper wins a majority, said Rae, it won't change the situation in the Middle East one iota. Harper's views are not based on what's going on in the region, he claimed, but rather on how many votes they'll garner. Rae was also highly critical of the views of Frank Dimant of B'nai Brith Canada, and warned those gathered at Hillman's home that Jews will have to decide if B'nai Brith speaks for them.
The question isn't whether Israel has a right to defend itself against an unprovoked attack, said Rae. Yes, of course it does, he said, but the next thought must be what the consequences of that action will be. Rae did not answer a question about how Israel should handle unprovoked attacks, but he did recommend, with respect to the Iranian nuclear threat, that Canada should be clear in its boycott/embargo policies.
On a question about whether an improved Palestinian economy would help resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Rae said that the focus should be on improving education and that Canada has a role to play in this area. Rae suggested more student exchanges, as well as improved educational materials, which are not full of hatred.
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