When US secretary of state, John Kerry, proclaimed that Israel had to choose - it could be a Jewish state or a democracy, just not both, Washington's abrupt epiphany must have caught Justin Trudeau and Steffie Dion with their short pants down.
If Washington can say the emperor has no clothes, where does that leave Ottawa?
Trudeau Mk.ll, like Harper, has broken with Canadian tradition in paying fealty to Benjamin Netanyahu. Put another way, Justin enjoys kissing Bibi's ass every bit as much as Stephen Harper in his day.
Oh, this is more than simply supporting the Tory motion to censure the BDS (boycott/divest/sanction) movement. As Alison at Creekside has diligently reported, the Trudeau government has continued the Harper policy of steadfastly supporting Netanyahu by voting against every pro-Palestine resolution in the UN General Assembly.
On every occasion, until now, Canada and the United States have carried Israel's water even as the rest of the world, as in the "rest of the world" - the entire EU, South America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia - refuse to look the other way.
That changed when the US refused to veto a UN Security Council resolution demanding that Israel cease stealing Palestinian land, what little of it remains, for ever more Israeli settlements. With that, America pushed the "reset" button on US-Israeli relations. Kerry followed through with a speech branding the Netanyahu government as the "most right wing in Israel's history."
The Israelis were predictably outraged at being exposed for what they are and have been for decades. Netanyahu's education minister, Naftali Bennett, blurted out that, as of January 20th when Trump is inaugurated, the "two state solution" will be off the table which, of course, it has been all along. Bennett then repeated his call that Israel simply annex most of the Palestinian West Bank.
John Kerry was speaking the obvious truth when he said Israel's settler policy is creating a one-nation state, one in which Palestinians will see their homeland erased even as they remain captives to the Israelis. What's next, ethnic cleansing - driving the Palestinians off their lands, again, and herding them to Jordan?
The problem with this is, when you have 150 nations - make that 151 now - opposed to Israeli extremism, that leaves just the one - Justin Trudeau's Canada isolated, exposed.
Of course, Justin can wait until the 20th when the old order is restored by president Donald Trump but he's been put on notice. He can't pretend any more. He cannot continue to look the other way. Trudeau, like Harper before him, has made our government, our nation and us - you and me - complicit in this. Once again this prime minister has shown that all of his principles come with price tags and can be had for the right price.
14 comments:
This is a watershed moment, Mound. Trudeau has to choose. He can't fudge the issue.
He won't do anything, Owen. Parliament is recessed for Christmas. The Mulcair NDP and the Ambrose Tories won't exactly be hounding him on this.They're as Likudnik as can be. The Canadian public still seems to think the sun shines out the Dauphin's ass. This is not a leader who embraces courage and principle.
"Washington's abrupt epiphany"
Yeah right. Obama was in power for 8 years, vetoed every UN resolution that condemned Israel. Now that he's a lame-duck president on the way out the door he offers this shallow pretense for liberal gullibles, which he most certainly would not have had Hillary won the election.
It's no wonder liberal politicians betray and humiliate liberal voters every election. I wouldn't be surprised if they actually enjoyed it!
Anon, I hate to interfere with your ADD but this post focuses on Trudeau, not Obama. Try to keep up.
What's worrying Bibi and the rest of the Likudniks is the upcoming Paris foreign ministers conference on January 15. France has invited 70 nations to discuss a peace plan for Israel-Palestine and John Kerry will be in attendance. France has already indicated that it will support the US on a two-state solution. The Israelis fear that an agreement in Paris could be rammed through the UNSC before January 20. If so, there would be little Trump could do to reverse it.
I haven't been able to find any press release announcing whether Stephane Dion will be there. The Global Affairs website is utterly useless at keeping Canadians informed of future events. If Dion's going, I expect Israel will be exerting considerable pressure on Canada to throw a wrench into the works.
Cap
Thanks for the information, Cap. That will be worth watching. Thanks again.
Our Creator God gave Israel much more land than they currently occupy. There is historically no State of Palestine. The people who live there belong to Jordan who does not want them. Neither do millions of Arabs in the Middle East.
I would think it the best thing that Justin Trudeau ever did, if he was to not vote against Israel.
Those who take a negative position against God's Land and His People end up paying a VERY stiff price.
Well, as I understand it, the wingnut religious (Christian) scripture has it that Jews aren't supposed to take over the Holy Land again until shortly before the End Times. So unless Trump is the Antichrist--and really, he doesn't have enough style--there isn't, in Book o' drugged-up Revelations terms, supposed to be an Israel at all yet.
As to what God gave people--actually, this time around is just like the Old Testament one; there were people peacefully living in the place and then the Israelites come along and take it. Any God who tells his people not only that they are entitled to other people's land and stuff, but actually instructs them to commit genocide (or else), is a total asshole. The Old Testament God can shove it, he's a massive jerk and I don't give a tinker's dam what he "gave" anybody. And if he turned out to exist, I'd say it to his face and he could shove me in Hell for it, he'd still be an asshole.
Side note: In Jewish religious terms, they aren't supposed to have Israel until the Messiah comes. Zionism was started and largely advanced by atheist Jews--at the time, orthodox Jews considered it basically blasphemous--resulting in the bizarre contradiction of nonbelievers justifying conquest entirely on the basis of (a selective reading of) scripture. There can't be many ideologies flimsier.
Oh, EVE, you're so cute. Be happy in your delusions. You strike me as one of those "biblical inerrancy" types, what I like to call fanatics. The Jews have their version of that book. The Arabs have theirs. Christians have another. They're all a load of crap that comes in handy when it's time for another round of slaughter.
As far as I'm concerned, I'll stick with reality rather than fantasy. The god you reference didn't give Israel squat. They have no more right to the Palestinian homeland than I do. Your account is complete rubbish.
Oooh you are all going to pay a VERY stiff price. Whatever a stiff price is. Sounds somewhat erotic in a church lady sort of way.
According to EVE God is a real estate agent.
Cap, PLG, Dana and Pamela. Best wishes for a Happy New Year even as I struggle to imagine 2017 being a watershed year of sweetness and light. Thanks very much for all your thoughtful contributions over the year. Nice that we can sometimes disagree without being disagreeable and it's always good to be reminded that I don't always get it right (although don't let my hound in on that).
See you all, I hope, next year.
Cheers
MoS
Well, thank you kindly, and I wish you a great new year as well (although I have to say, the prospects are daunting).
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