Jewish Tribune

The Jewish Tribune is not a "Liberal Friendly" paper by any stretch of the imagination. This story shows the significant strides made by the Liberal Party in outreach to the Jewish community, even the conservative (and Conservative) community.

Liberals join Conservatives, condemn IAW, CUPE resolution, but no specific NDP policy
 
Written by the Jewish Tribune staff
 
Tuesday, 10 March 2009
 
TORONTO - Michael Ignatieff, leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, has gone on record in strong condemnation of both Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) and the motion by the Ontario wing of Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) to boycott Israel.
 
In fact, an op-ed by Ignatieff, articulating his position on this issue, appeared in the National Post last week. A private meeting had been held earlier between B'nai Brith Canada leaders and the Liberal leader, in which these same concerns were raised.
 
"Labelling Israel as an apartheid state is a deliberate attempt to undermine the legitimacy of the Jewish state itself," Ignatieff stated. "IAW singles out one state, its citizens and its supporters for condemnation and exclusion, and it targets institutions and individuals because of what and who they are - Israeli and Jewish.... IAW goes beyond reasonable criticism into demonization. It leaves Jewish and Israeli students wary of expressing their opinions, for fear of intimidation."
 
Regarding CUPE Ontario, it "has joined the chorus of denunciations of Israel on our campuses," Ignatieff said. The resolution passed recently to boycott Israeli academics is "an unacceptable violation of academic freedom."
 
This attitude is compatible with the stand taken by Stephen Harper's Conservative government. As Jason Kenney, minister of citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism, had stated in Parliament, IAW is "a systematic effort to delegitimize the democratic homeland of the Jewish people.... Jewish students at campuses across the country are subsequently feeling increasingly vulnerable. We condemn these efforts to single out and attack the Jewish people and their homeland in this terrible way."
 
Similarly, MP John Volpe (Eglinton-Lawrence) has stood up in Parliament against events such as IAW, which "inevitably sow discord, promote negative stereotyping and fuel hatred."
 
In Montreal, MP Irwin Cotler (Mount Royal) told a Jewish Tribune reporter during IAW that Jewish students have been feeling intimidated and fearful on campus for quite some time, and the events of the week only make the situation worse.
 
"Israeli Apartheid Week slides inexorably into the indictment of Israel not only as an apartheid state, but as a Nazi state," he said.
 
Other political leaders to condemn IAW included MP James Lunney (Nanaimo), who said its organizers "must not have a clear understanding of apartheid itself,"
 
The Jewish Tribune was in contact with NDP leader Jack Layton's office, but there was no statement forthcoming that specifically addressed IAW.
James Morton
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