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אייר קנדה תחזור לטוס לישראל וקנדה הטילה סנקציות חדשות על מתנחלים

חברת התעופה הקנדית, אייר קנדה, שחידשה את טיסותיה לישראל בשמונה באפריל לתקופה קצרה, והפסיקה את טיסותיה בעקבות המתקפה האיראנית, והודיעה כי היא צפויה לחדש את טיסותיה בשישה באוגוסט. חברת התעופה הקנדית חזרה בה מהודעתה הקודמת והחליטה להמשיך עוד את השעיית טיסותיה לתל אביב. החברה הודיעה כי עקב אי הוודאות הנמשכת במזרח התיכון, אייר קנדה מפסיקה את פעילותה מתל אביב ואליה עד אמצע אוקטובר. הטיסה הקרובה, על פי הודעת החברה, תצא מטורונטו לתל אביב ביום שלישי החמישה עשר באוקטובר, ואילו הקו ממונטריאול לתל אביב יחל לפעול רק בלוח טיסות הקיץ של השנה הבאה. אייר קנדה הודיעה עוד החברה בקשר עם ממשלת קנדה והיא תמשיך לבדוק מקרוב את המצב ותנהל את תכניותיה בהתאם

קנדה הטילה סנקציות חדשות על מתנחלים

שרת החוץ של קנדה מלאני ג’ולי הודיעה כי קנדה מטילה סנקציות חדשות בנושא אלימות מתנחלים קיצוניים. סבב הסנקציות הזה מפרט שבעה אנשים וחמש ישויות על תפקידם בהקלה, תמיכה או תרומה כספית למעשי אלימות של מתנחלים קיצוניים נגד אזרחים פלשתינים ורכושם. הגוף המשמעותי ביותר נגדו מוטלות סנקציות היא חברת אמנה, שבונה רבים מהפרויקטים בשטחים, ובראשה עומד זאב חבר המקורב לראש הממשלה בנימין נתניהו. בנוסף, יוטלו עיצומים על נוער הגבעות אם כי לא ברור למה הכוונה כי אין יישות משפטית כזו. וכן על ארגון להב”ה המזוהה עם כך וכן החווה של משה והחווה של צבי. בנוסף קנדה הטילה עיצומים על הפעילים המוכרים בנצי גופשטיין, דניאלה וייס הנמנית על מייסדות ההתיישבות בשטחים, אלישע ירד, אלי פדרמן, מאיר אטינגר, שלום זיכרמן עינן בן-ניר ועמרם תנג’יל

הקנדים אומרים כי אלימות מתיישבין קיצוניים הביאה לאובדן חיים ולנזק לרכוש פלשתיני ולאדמות חקלאות. התקפות אלו הביאו גם לעקירה בכפייה של קהילות פלשתיניות, ותרמו לחוסר ביטחון של פלשתינים וישראלים בגדה המערבית כאחד. התקפות של מתיישסים ישראלים קיצוניים הם מקור ותיק למתיחות וסכסוכים באזור, מערערות את זכויות האדם של הפלשתינים, את הסיכויים לפתרון שתי המדינות ומהוות סיכונים משמעותיים לביטחון האזורי. קנדה ממשיכה להתנגד להרחבת ההתנחלויות הבלתי חוקיות בגדה המערבית ובמזרח ירושלים והיא מחויבת לשלום מקיף, צודק ומתמשך במזרח התיכון

בארגון שלום עכשיו שבירכו על ההחלטה אמרו כי הארגון מברכים את ממשלת קנדה, ידידת אמת של ישראל, על עמדה נחושה ובלתי מתפשרת כלפי אלימות מתנחלים. הגיע הזמן שכל מתנחל אלים ישלם על מעשיו, לרבות ההנהגה המתנחלית הקיצונית. בשבוע שעבר חשפנו איך מקדם השר סמוטריץ סיפוח דה יורה של הגדה המערבית, ומתגאה בפרויקט החוות החקלאיות שהפכו לגולת הכותרת של פרויקט הנישול האלימות והגזל. זו העת לעצור את הטירוף ולשים סוף לאלימות ולמאחזים הבלתי חוקיים, אותם הממשלה מתדלקת בשם האג’נדה המשיחית של סמוריץ ובן גביר. חייבים להפיל את הממשלה

ראש המועצה האזורית בנימין ויו״ר מועצת יש״ע, ישראל גנץ אמר בתגובה להודעת משרד החוץ הקנדי כי מדובר בהחלטה שערורייתית. קנדה בוחרת לתת רוח גבית לטרור ולחמאס שמבקש להמשיך לטבוח ביהודים ולחסל את ישראל. מי שמטיל עיצומים לא מוסריים ולא חוקיים נגד גורמים יהודים שותף מלא לחזון של סינוואר ודוחף את ישראל לסכנה קיומית. קנדה בהחלטתה מעודדת מחבלים ואנרכיסטים להמשיך לתקוף יישובים ברחבי יו”ש ובכל ישראל. ממשלת ישראל והעומד בראשה חייבים להגיב למהלך הזה בתגובות בשטח ולהפוך את המשוואה. כל החלטה כזו צריכה לבסס עוד יותר את נכוחותה של מדינת ישראל ביהודה ושומרון

Posted on August 7, 2024July 18, 2024Author Roni RachmaniCategories עניין בחדשותTags Air Canada, flights, Israel, sanctions, settlers, West Bank, אייר קנדה, גדה המערבית, טיסות, ישראל, מתנחלים, סנקציות

Standing by our family

If a member of your family were in crisis, would you abandon them? Even if the crisis were partly self-inflicted, of course you would stand by them.

In a metaphorical way, this is the issue facing Diaspora Jews in considering Israel right now. Whether you agree or disagree with the direction of the new government, it is undeniable that Israel is in a crisis. Each weekend, for several weeks, between 100,000 and 300,000 people have marched in the streets in opposition to a range of government policies, particularly proposed judicial “reforms” that many critics view as a threat to the fundamental democratic character of the country.

Watching from afar, these events are discouraging and worrying – and these emotions mingle with what might already be a degree of ambivalence, disappointment and many other sentiments. It is not always easy to be a supporter of Israel overseas. We have struggled in the face of decades of condemnation, some legitimate, some outlandish exaggerations. It would be easier, for some of us, to walk away.

Israelis do not have the luxury of walking away. And if one looks at Israel today and says, “That does not reflect my Judaism, my politics, my values,” remember: it does not reflect the Judaism, politics or values of most Israelis either.

The Israeli government we see today is the result of a tail wagging the dog, a reality facilitated by coalition politics and the desperation of Binyamin Netanyahu to regain power at almost any cost.

In many instances, people who voted based on concerns about national security find themselves appalled at policies around women’s equality, LGBTQ+ rights, the place of minorities in the country, the treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank and, of course, the overriding threats perceived in the attempts to meddle with the infrastructure of the Israeli judiciary – the wellspring from which much of Israel’s liberal character has come.

Most Israelis did not knowingly vote for leaders who would see the settler violence against Palestinians in the village of Huwara and endorse it, vindicate the perpetrators and incite further, even more destructive and possibly murderous violence. This latter example – of politicians (or anyone else, for that matter) openly celebrating and inciting racist violence – should disgust everyone, no matter their political stripe.

Overseas organizations that are connected with Israel – not least the Jewish Federations of North America – have spoken out officially in ways that are unprecedented in the history of Israel-Diaspora relations. Some of these statements have been comparatively mild in the minds of many observers, who view this as genuinely a time for full-throated disapproval. The fact that they are speaking out at all, however, is significant.

One of the side effects of all this is the debunking of the popular accusations that the tendency to keep negative comments within the family reflects “uncritical support for Israel.” This idea, that Zionism is a form of congenital disorder unrooted in reason, has never been true but it is now discredited. For what that’s worth.

Relatedly, individuals and groups who for years have been slandering Israel with hyperbole are now learning that they have exhausted the arsenal of vocabulary when actual events call for some strong language.

There is some reason for optimism. Isaac Herzog, Israel’s president, who has been cast by events into a role unlike the relatively ceremonial function that the office usually carries, said this week that a compromise may be in the offing on the contentious judicial reforms. Moreover, the resignation from cabinet last week of Avi Maoz, a far-right extremist, appears to be evidence that the government is wearying of fighting a multiple-front war. It is believed that Maoz realized the government wasn’t going to impose his racist, misogynistic and homophobic policies and so took his marbles home. There are reports of more turmoil in the ranks, which could drag the government and the country back toward a little sanity.

On the one hand, this should not invite a slackening of the pressure. There is a movement afoot among Diaspora Jews (and others) to discourage world leaders from meeting with extremist members of the Israeli government. Whether or not that will have much effect on anything, it is a valuable expression of revulsion for people who, like Bezalel Smotrich, incited (and then walked back) his call to “wipe out” the Palestinian village where Jewish settlers recently attacked innocent civilians.

On the other hand, anyone who is considering walking away from Israel, of abandoning the emotional energies of this fight, should consider who it is they would be abandoning in the process. A government is fleeting – although the lasting damage a single government can do is significant. But, Israel is the embodiment of the Jewish people’s national self-determination. To walk away from that is to walk away from more than bad government policy. It is to walk away from history. To walk away from everything that one’s ancestors hoped for, prayed for and built.

More importantly, it is to abandon to their own devices the very people in Israel with whom we probably most closely agree, who are struggling nobly to preserve the vision of Israel that many or most of us believe to be an ideal.

When a family member is in crisis, we do not abandon them. We engage. We help. We confront and intervene, if necessary. We do not walk away. In fact, this is precisely the moment when we dig deepest into our resources and do everything we can to make right what is wrong.

Posted on March 10, 2023March 9, 2023Author The Editorial BoardCategories From the JITags Diaspora, elections, governance, human rights, Huwara, Israel, Netanyahu, settlers, violence

Condemn Smotrich’s comments

Independent Jewish Voices Canada is calling for immediate action by the Canadian government in response to comments by a senior Israeli minister that the Palestinian town of Huwara should be “wiped out.”

Speaking at a conference hosted by news publication TheMarker, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is also the minister in the defence ministry, in charge of civilian affairs in the occupied Palestinian West Bank, said he thinks “the village of Huwara needs to be wiped out” and that “the state of Israel should do it” rather than private citizens. Huwara is a Palestinian town on the outskirts of Nablus, surrounded by settlements, long subject to violence from Israeli settlers and orchestrated infrastructure shutdowns from the Israeli government.

The minister’s comments came a few days after Israeli settlers went on a violent rampage in Huwara and neighbouring villages, which has been widely labeled a pogrom, including by the Israeli military general in charge of troops in the West Bank and the former director of the Anti-Defamation League. Four hundred-plus Israeli settlers attacked the Palestinian villages of Huwara, Zaatara, Burin and Asira al-Qibliya, burning dozens of homes and killing a 37-year-old Palestinian man while wounding hundreds as Israeli forces stood by. The man who was killed, Samih al-Aqtash, had just returned from volunteering in Turkey to help earthquake victims. He was the 67th Palestinian killed by either the Israeli army or vigilante settlers this year alone.

A pogrom is a violent riot with the specific intent to massacre or expel a specific group of people. It emerged as a Yiddish word in the late 19th century to describe the attacks on Jews across the Russian empire. We use the word “pogrom” to recognize that Israeli settlers are recreating the kind of targeted, racialized terrorism that targeted Jews in Europe. We use this word to recognize the hypocrisy of claims that Jewish settler riots are protecting Jewish safety.

Many Canadian and Israeli Jews, including many of our members, have ancestors who lived through these horrific, targeted antisemitic riots in Europe. Many of our members are also descended from, or are themselves, survivors of ethnic cleansing and genocide. These atrocities often started with pogroms that were officially ignored or officially enabled.

The comments by Smotrich on March 1 are a clear validation of the previous Sunday’s pogrom and constitute an explicit call for ethnic cleansing if not outright genocide. To this we say loudly and unequivocally: “not in our name.”

What we are witnessing in Israel is shocking, but it is by no means an aberration. Emboldened by the impunity afforded to them by the likes of Canada and other Western governments, the Israeli government and settler groups are simply more explicit about their settler-colonial aims to displace, replace and keep Palestinians out from the lands they claim. Israel was founded on the ethnic cleansing of 750,000 Palestinians, known as the Nakba, or “catastrophe,” which continues to this day, 75 years later.

IJV calls on Canada to clearly articulate what the Israeli government is calling for as ethnic cleansing and condemn Minister Smotrich’s comments in the strongest possible terms. Canada cannot claim to be vigilant against ethnic cleansing and genocide while refusing to name Israeli action and incitement to these heinous acts.

IJV also joins calls on the Canadian government to boycott the new far-right Israeli government and to advocate for international protection for the undefended Palestinian people living under Israeli rule.

Finally, IJV calls on organizations representing Canadian Jewish communities to loudly condemn the settler pogrom and government officials’ incitements to violence. Our communities need clear moral leadership to hold Israel to account.

Israel isn’t shying away from saying it as it is. Neither should Canadians.

* * *

Editor’s note: This letter does not acknowledge that more than 850,000 Jews were forced to leave their homes in Arab countries in the 20 years following the Arab-Israeli war of 1948.

Posted on March 10, 2023March 9, 2023Author Independent Jewish Voices CanadaCategories Op-EdTags Bezalel Smotrich, Diaspora, Huwara, Israel, justice, settlers, violence
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