Parting Company with Decency and Human Rights for Political Expedience

The CBC's Neil Macdonald writes of the contortions the Liberals are going through to be seen as not agreeing with the Tories even as they support the Tory condemnation of the BDS movement.

BDS is the "boycott, divest and sanction" movement that opposes Israel's subjugation of the Palestinian people. Leading BDS are the United Church of Canada and the Quakers.

When it comes to Israel the Liberals wouldn't say "shit" if they had a mouthful - and they do. Stephane Dion,  master of weasel words after his performance supporting the sale of $15-billion worth of war wagons to the Middle East's real supporter of terrorism, Saudi Arabia, casts the BDS leaders as well-intentioned buffoons.

So, the Trudeau government intends to join with the Conservatives next week and condemn the United Church of Canada and the Quakers, along with every other organization and individual participating to any degree in a boycott of Israeli goods and services.

Blanket government condemnation is not a very sunny thing to do, and the Liberals, quivering with outrage, are making it clear they really don't want to do it.

But they are going ahead because, apparently, they're being bullied, the poor daisies.

It's just not fair, the things you can be forced to do when you have a parliamentary majority.

There is no doubt, Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion declared in the House of Commons Thursday, that most of the organizations and individuals supporting the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions movement are doing so in good faith, believing it will somehow force an end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and its control over Gaza, and maybe some sort of peace deal.

...In speeches supporting their motion, one Conservative MP after another conflated BDS with "the new anti-Semitism," "attacks on national origin," growing hatred of Jews everywhere, desecration of Jewish cemeteries, intimidation of Jewish university students, hatred of peace, and just plain old hatred.

Dion, trying hard to walk in Liberal sunshine, protested that no, some BDS supporters are respectable people, some in fact are Jewish themselves, and should not be ostracized. We must all speak to one another respectfully, he protested.

It's spineless, pandering crap like this that reminds me how great it can feel to have ditched the Liberal Party of Canada.