11.16.2012 09:00 AM

Israel, Peres and Twitter

I strongly support Israel, and Israelis.  I always have. I don’t support the current leadership of CIJA, who have effectively become a communications/lobby arm of the Conservative Party of Canada – and who have thereby diminished the voice of Jewish community when (not if) there is a change in government.

I met Shimon Peres when I was in Israel, years ago. What a great man! What a legend! I can tell you he is also far more moderate, and far more strategic, than the erstwhile “leaders” found in organizations like CIJA. I have faith in him, and the difficult decisions he and others must make in the coming days.


22 Comments

  1. Michael S says:

    Who says you can’t say a lot in 140 characters?

  2. steve says:

    I do not trust Netanyahoo. He has been crying wolf on Iran since 1993. He seems to have enriched himself at the helm of goverment. The timing of this war just before the election stinks. On the otherhand people lobbing missles at you sooner or later just becomes intolerable. If Mexico were to launch one at the USA, look out.

  3. Ronald O'Dowd says:

    Warren,

    Like you, I’m a great admirer of Peres — not to mention one of my heroes, Rabin. But we know who is running this show and we also know his track record. Peres may be his partner in government but one wonders how seriously his counsel is taken.

  4. Marky Mark says:

    The issue is that the oxygen for BDS, Israeli Apartheid Week and all of the other rabid anti-Zionist stuff proliferating in Canada comes from the radial left. You can’t expect ordinary Jewish Canadians not to notice, which is why so many ridings with substanital Jewish voters have moved into the CPC column.

    • Jack Siegel says:

      You might be right about “the radical left”, although it is by no means monolithic on this front, but to equate that to a rational basis for CPC support is absurd. The drift to the CPC in some ridings with substantial Jewish populations is more a result of a very successful misinformation campaign from the Tory Ministry of Truth than a reflection of any anti-Zionist imperative in ANY Canadian mainstream political party. Mulcair & Rae both have long records of support for Israel, along with their respective parties. The real distinction is that the Tories suppress all dissent, while the others permit discourse.

  5. Chris says:

    Is there any nuance in this situation?

    What should I think of signs like this http://i.imgur.com/rqOJI.jpg ?

    (I’m being 100% sincere)

    • Ottawa civil servant says:

      What should you think? I can’t tell you that. But I urge you to avoid taking your world view from placards and bumper stickers.
      I also suggest you read Alan Dershowitz’s The Case for Israel. It systematically deconstructs the anti-Israel argument and states with clarity that Palestine could have entered the UN on an equal footing with Israel in 1948, but they refused. And Jerusalem was in Jordan, at the time, so the issue of giving the holiest Jewish territory over to genocidal loony-tunes wasn’t even an issue.

      For heaven’s sake people, read some history.

      • que sera sera says:

        Such a comfort suggesting the bombs dropped on you & your children’s heads today in your Gaza concentration camp were apparently launched by your ancestors (aka “genocidal loony-tunes”) in 1948.

        Read some history, indeed. When do ducks-in-a-barrel read history?

        Speaking of history, it is interesting that the unforgivable sins by European Christians towards European Jews are being paid for in blood by Palestinians in Palestine.

  6. Warren says:

    Thanks, chief. Brain fart, there.

  7. Domenico says:

    All I will say is that I miss Yitzhak Rabin.

  8. dave says:

    A comment thread on Palestine brings almost as many comments and emotion as a comment thread on taking fighting out of hockey.

    I see Israel as a European enclave plunked down in Palestine. It shows the same attitude and behaviour toward its neighbours as European colonies have always shown toward their new neighbours.

    The settlements have made two states unlikely, unless the plan is to foist on the locals a bantustan existence – more of a joke state, really. A single state will not be allowed as long as thier are nukes in the picture. So…Israel has all the guns and outside support, no need to have peace so keep pretending, continues to expand with impunity, keeps modifying and selling their rationales successfully…why quit?

    I read a couple of books by Peres a couple of decades ago (I think I read one by one of his younger relatives as well – daughter, manybe?). He strikes me as a career politician who likes being in office, saying what sounds good, having any at least some kind of power. If the unlikely situation of peace breaking out happens, a Peres, or some flexible politician like him will be there. (Put him in a room with Ashrawi, or someone like her – maybe Barghouti; they would come up with something more just than what is there now.)

    • Ronald O'Dowd says:

      Dave,
      Warren,

      I see absolutely no prospect for peace between Israel and Palestine under the present leadership. Positions are quite simply too entrenched. Too much playing with moral equivalence — or lack thereof. Too much postering with one nation depicted as all black and the other all white. It’s almost as if they are mutually cursed for eternity. God, I hope not.

      Alternating between a cold and hot war does not make for a very positive future for either nation’s inhabitants.

  9. Jason says:

    I’ve never been to Isreal, but I have travelled in the Middle East. I am a big supporter of Isreal, as well as the Arab people. Many will say you cannot be a supporter of both, but what many here in the west don’t realize is that the typical Arab is NOT someone with a bomb strapped to themselves, or someone cutting the heads off innocent people in some cave, or in this case, someone launching rockets into Isreal.

    The Arab people are not to blame, but they do end up getting caught in the cross fire between a legitimate nation (Isreal) and the lunatic warmongers. It’s an impossible situation for any leader of Isreal to be in. And it really is terrible for the majority of innocent Arabs.

  10. kre8tv says:

    Agreeing with what Domenico said.

  11. Jim Hayes says:

    Jewish community politics is very confusing. I always believed that the Canadian Jewish Congress was a reasonable organization. Way happened?

  12. Philippe says:

    I think Israel has every right to defend itself. However, under Benjamin Netanyahu, they’re playing offense, not defense. You force people to live like rats (see: Gaza Strip) & it’s unavoidable that radicalization will occur. It’s not natural to want to blow yourself up – it’s a symptom of living in a society in which you feel you have nothing to lose. Give the Palestinians hope, economic opportunity, take the first steps in allowing more free movement… something to live for & look forward to, and you will have your long-lasting peace, eventually. It’s the only way.

  13. Harith says:

    I support Israelis too. And Palestinians. Who I don’t support are the hardliners, the hawks, the terrorists, the zionists, hamas, etc.

    I support the people and peace.

  14. Martin says:

    This latest bombing session, I belive is all about prying Egypt’s new government away from its peace treaty with Israel. The fact that Egypt has sided with Gaza on this one is ominous for peace in the Middle East. If Egypt’s peace deal with Israel collapses, and Egypt put its full backing behind the Palestinians, Egypt’s shared border with Gaza could turn into a funnel for weapons to be used against Israel.
    Turkey is more and more ambivalent towards Israel.
    Israel is in a real tough spot here.

  15. Jim Hayes says:

    I am very confused about the leadership of the Jewish community. I thought the Jewish Canadian Congress was more like a human rights organization. Whatever happened to the person who ran it? And what exactly is CIJA?

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