"Canada must send a message: Israel has gone too far"

[tuvor]

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Canada must send a message: Israel has gone too far

ANNIK LUSSIER

Special to Globe and Mail Update

Let's face it, as a relatively small nation on the world stage, it is clear that Canada cannot single-handedly bring an end to the escalating crisis in the Middle East. We have no military might and we have little or no political clout with many countries in the region.

Canada's reputation as an honest broker in Middle East politics used to feed off the fumes of actions taken by our government decades ago during the Suez Crisis and with our previous voting record at the United Nations. But we burned off the rest of that reputation when Canada proudly became the first country to announce that aid would be cut to the Palestinian Authority and with our recent statements on violence in the region.

While Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay "strongly condem(ned)" Hezbollah's operation against Israeli military installations, he has remained conspicuously silent about Israel's attacks on civilians in Lebanon and its tactic of collective punishment. Our Prime Minister has ventured further into inexplicably one-sided support for Israel. Speaking to reporters on his European tour, Stephen Harper put the onus entirely on Hamas and Hezbollah to bring peace to the region and has called Israeli actions "measured," disregarding rules on proportionality as set out in international law.

This isn't the first time our government has pussyfooted in its statement about Israel's use of force against non-combatants. Two weeks ago, when Israel began shelling Gaza, killing civilians and destroying electrical and water supplies, Canada merely "urge(d) restraint" from "all sides."

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060717.wsatcomm0717/BNStory/International/home

[Spazito]

1. Good article, thanks for posting it n/t

[Mother Jones]

2. That's it "Steve"....

Keep on following your idol Georgie......all the way off that cliff!

[daleo]

3. At a minimum, Harper should demand an apology and an explanation

From the Israeli ambassador and government. They should have to explain to Canada and the world why they targeted that house full of children. Not vague generalities, but specific facts.

If any other nation killed Canadians in a military action we would expect no less. That's what we got from the U.S. when they killed out troops in a "friendly fire" incident in Afghanistan.

On edit - And if Harper won't do it, Layton should hold his feet to the fire.

[MrPrax]

4. Surprise Surprise...

The Globe catches some it...but most of the Canadian media and it's elites seem to be in 'duck and cover' mode...

I would love them to come out and challenge this obscenity in some forceful way..but we ALL know that isn't going to happen.

Now basically even Canadians are expendible to Israeli security. Israelis are worth more than Canadians and we have a government that won't even broach the subject that Israel saw it fit to label Canadians a terrorist threat to Israel and then killed them.

I would really like the editorials to start out asking in strong terms, what Canada should be doing...file a protest? and with whom? the UN we just snubbed over the http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1151617836088&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154&t=TS_Home">Indigeous Declaration? etc etc

I am sure that if this happened (and it might) to say a family of Americans, there would a lot more sound on Israel...name any of the Quintet countries and if it happened to their nationals?

Really disgusting government...