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My grandfather was Jewish; he’d be heartbroken today
The only grandfather I ever knew was a Jew. He was a very distinguished gentleman, well-liked and appreciated by everyone in a town that was predominantly Christian. If he were alive today, I fear that he might now be disrespected and isolated… not because he was Jewish, but because of what the Netanyahu government is doing in Gaza. He would be heartbroken.
The claims that “antisemitism” is on the rise around the world are misleading. People are not angry at the Netanyahu government because they are Jewish; they are angry because of the attacks on Palestinian children and women first, and now the Israeli blockade of desperately needed food and medicine for Palestinians.
It is not uncommon for Jews around the world now to be shown scorn and disrespect, not because of their faith, but in the hope that the message will reach the Netanyahu government that what the Israeli government is doing in Gaza is unacceptable. This is not “antisemitism”… it is opposition to violence against innocent women and children.
No one denies Israel the right to protect itself. No one denies Israel the right to extract punishment for the October 7th murderous attack on innocent Israelis. No one denies Israel the right to eliminate Hamas and retrieve the Israeli hostages.
However, flattening every building in the entire region of Gaza is not necessary to accomplish any of these goals. In this age of laser-guided rockets, smart bombs, and drones, there is no need to obliterate every single building in Gaza.
Statements from Prime Minister Netanyahu now suggest a desire for Israel to acquire more land in Gaza. This is no longer just a security and defence issue. It is now also a land acquisition issue.
I have been fortunate to visit Gaza, Israel, and the West Bank many times. I have met with several members of the Israeli Parliament (Knesset), including several current and former Prime Ministers and Speakers.
I have also met with Members of the Palestinian Legislative Council from both Gaza and the West Bank, including current and former Speakers and Presidents. In fact, on one visit, I was introduced in the Palestinian Legislature as a “true friend of the Palestinians.”The very next day, I was introduced in a meeting at the Knesset as a “true friend of the Israelis.”
At one point, the two Speakers asked me to take messages back and forth between the Israeli and Palestinian legislatures. The Speakers had never met or spoken, despite living only 15 kilometers apart. I could not understand why someone else had not made this effort. They wanted to connect, and they seemed to trust me because I was Canadian.
One Saturday, I was sitting in my office in Amherst, and the phone rang. It was Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. He asked if Canada could join the “Quartet Peace Process.” The “Quartet” consists of the United Nations, the United States, the European Union, and the Russian Federation. Their mandate is to create a “Roadmap for Peace,” but the organization was stalled. President Arafat thought that Canada could get it moving again.
I had no idea if Canada could join the Quartet, but I said that I would find out. When I returned to Ottawa, I met with Foreign Affairs Minister Hon Bill Graham. He said, “We would love to join the Quartet, but we’re afraid to ask the Americans because the answer might be No.” I asked if I could meet with the Americans, and he agreed, saying, “You’re in the opposition; it doesn’t matter what they tell you.”
The next day, I made an appointment with the U.S. Ambassador, His Excellency Paul Cellucci. Mr. Cellucci did not know the answer either, but said… “I’ll ask George.”
Unfortunately, “George” said, “No, now is not the time.” I called President Arafat back and gave him the news. He thanked me for trying. He trusted me because I was Canadian.
My point is that I have some idea of what I’m talking about. In my visits to Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank, I have met many people on all sides who simply want peace and the ability to raise their children and see their grandchildren grow without the threat of war, bombings, abductions, and violence. I remember them well.
My efforts in the Middle East did not go unrecognized. In 2010, the United Nations sent me an email asking if I would be a guest speaker at the United Nations Malta Peace Conference. At first, I did not take the email seriously, but three days later, the UN called me to confirm the request and asked that I make a presentation on “The Role of a Parliamentarian in the Peace Process,” as well as present my proposal for a “Two-State Solution.”
At the UN Malta Peace Conference, about 125 countries and 31 parliamentary organizations were represented. I was the only North American politician present. Although I was extremely apprehensive about speaking in such an exclusive forum, at the end of the conference, the Chair of the Conference, Hon Rudy Salles, an MP from France, pulled me aside and said, “There were 28 speakers. Twenty-seven outlined the problems. Only one offered a proposed solution” and that was you.” He invited me to return to promote the Two-State Solution Plan, but by then, the government in Canada had changed, and I no longer had the support to continue.
Throughout all of this, I was a backbencher. However, because I was Canadian, I was respected, and people were prepared to listen to me and work with me to bring together Israeli, Palestinian, and Canadian legislators. Canada still enjoys a high level of respect on both sides. If Canada made a concerted and persistent effort, we could help build bridges and work toward a path to peace.
I was very pleased to see Prime Minister Carney join with the British and French governments to express deep concerns about the blockade of food and medications for innocent Palestinians recently. In my view, expressing this concern is long past due.
On the other hand, Israel can be assured that if any country were to subject Israel to a blockade of urgent food and medication for Israelis, Canada would be the first to come to Israel’s aid.
In 1947, the United Nations granted Israel their own Jewish state by dividing the area previously known as the “British Mandate of Palestine.” An essential part of that pact was that Palestinians would have their own state as well. In the beginning, Palestinians resisted this proposal, but now they are ready to accept the UN plan.
The time has come to see both states established under a Two-State Solution Plan as specified in the U. N. decision in 1947.
The claims that “antisemitism” is on the rise around the world are misleading. People are not angry at the Netanyahu government because they are Jewish; they are angry because of the attacks on Palestinian children and women first, and now the Israeli blockade of desperately needed food and medicine for Palestinians.
It is not uncommon for Jews around the world now to be shown scorn and disrespect, not because of their faith, but in the hope that the message will reach the Netanyahu government that what the Israeli government is doing in Gaza is unacceptable. This is not “antisemitism”… it is opposition to violence against innocent women and children.
No one denies Israel the right to protect itself. No one denies Israel the right to extract punishment for the October 7th murderous attack on innocent Israelis. No one denies Israel the right to eliminate Hamas and retrieve the Israeli hostages.
However, flattening every building in the entire region of Gaza is not necessary to accomplish any of these goals. In this age of laser-guided rockets, smart bombs, and drones, there is no need to obliterate every single building in Gaza.
Statements from Prime Minister Netanyahu now suggest a desire for Israel to acquire more land in Gaza. This is no longer just a security and defence issue. It is now also a land acquisition issue.
I have been fortunate to visit Gaza, Israel, and the West Bank many times. I have met with several members of the Israeli Parliament (Knesset), including several current and former Prime Ministers and Speakers.
I have also met with Members of the Palestinian Legislative Council from both Gaza and the West Bank, including current and former Speakers and Presidents. In fact, on one visit, I was introduced in the Palestinian Legislature as a “true friend of the Palestinians.”The very next day, I was introduced in a meeting at the Knesset as a “true friend of the Israelis.”
At one point, the two Speakers asked me to take messages back and forth between the Israeli and Palestinian legislatures. The Speakers had never met or spoken, despite living only 15 kilometers apart. I could not understand why someone else had not made this effort. They wanted to connect, and they seemed to trust me because I was Canadian.
One Saturday, I was sitting in my office in Amherst, and the phone rang. It was Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. He asked if Canada could join the “Quartet Peace Process.” The “Quartet” consists of the United Nations, the United States, the European Union, and the Russian Federation. Their mandate is to create a “Roadmap for Peace,” but the organization was stalled. President Arafat thought that Canada could get it moving again.
I had no idea if Canada could join the Quartet, but I said that I would find out. When I returned to Ottawa, I met with Foreign Affairs Minister Hon Bill Graham. He said, “We would love to join the Quartet, but we’re afraid to ask the Americans because the answer might be No.” I asked if I could meet with the Americans, and he agreed, saying, “You’re in the opposition; it doesn’t matter what they tell you.”
The next day, I made an appointment with the U.S. Ambassador, His Excellency Paul Cellucci. Mr. Cellucci did not know the answer either, but said… “I’ll ask George.”
Unfortunately, “George” said, “No, now is not the time.” I called President Arafat back and gave him the news. He thanked me for trying. He trusted me because I was Canadian.
My point is that I have some idea of what I’m talking about. In my visits to Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank, I have met many people on all sides who simply want peace and the ability to raise their children and see their grandchildren grow without the threat of war, bombings, abductions, and violence. I remember them well.
My efforts in the Middle East did not go unrecognized. In 2010, the United Nations sent me an email asking if I would be a guest speaker at the United Nations Malta Peace Conference. At first, I did not take the email seriously, but three days later, the UN called me to confirm the request and asked that I make a presentation on “The Role of a Parliamentarian in the Peace Process,” as well as present my proposal for a “Two-State Solution.”
At the UN Malta Peace Conference, about 125 countries and 31 parliamentary organizations were represented. I was the only North American politician present. Although I was extremely apprehensive about speaking in such an exclusive forum, at the end of the conference, the Chair of the Conference, Hon Rudy Salles, an MP from France, pulled me aside and said, “There were 28 speakers. Twenty-seven outlined the problems. Only one offered a proposed solution” and that was you.” He invited me to return to promote the Two-State Solution Plan, but by then, the government in Canada had changed, and I no longer had the support to continue.
Throughout all of this, I was a backbencher. However, because I was Canadian, I was respected, and people were prepared to listen to me and work with me to bring together Israeli, Palestinian, and Canadian legislators. Canada still enjoys a high level of respect on both sides. If Canada made a concerted and persistent effort, we could help build bridges and work toward a path to peace.
I was very pleased to see Prime Minister Carney join with the British and French governments to express deep concerns about the blockade of food and medications for innocent Palestinians recently. In my view, expressing this concern is long past due.
On the other hand, Israel can be assured that if any country were to subject Israel to a blockade of urgent food and medication for Israelis, Canada would be the first to come to Israel’s aid.
In 1947, the United Nations granted Israel their own Jewish state by dividing the area previously known as the “British Mandate of Palestine.” An essential part of that pact was that Palestinians would have their own state as well. In the beginning, Palestinians resisted this proposal, but now they are ready to accept the UN plan.
The time has come to see both states established under a Two-State Solution Plan as specified in the U. N. decision in 1947.