Concerns over Mr. Gordon's recent article

"These distortions undermine productive discourse and pander to a narrow, one-sided narrative as Mr. Gordon conflates criticism of Israel with antisemitism. He does so by vilifying dissent as dangerous and hateful and defaming pro-Palestine Jewish groups as 'Israel haters' for 'dusting off their Jewish membership card to use as a shield against criticism, or appropriating Jewish names to lend credibility to their causes.'" 


December 13, 2024

Dear Mr. Roberts and Mr. Gordon,

I am writing to you to express my concern with your one-sided article, “The Jews being used as pawns in the campaign against Israel.”

The piece dismisses Jewish-led organizations critical of Israel, such as the Lemkin Institute, as illegitimate tools for “anti-Israel agendas.”

I take particular issue with this statement by Mr. Gordon:
“Meanwhile, some are exploiting their Jewishness as convenient cover in Canada, too. On Dec. 3, a protest took place on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, involving several groups with “Jewish” in their names: Jews Say No to Genocide Coalition, Independent Jewish Voices Canada (IJV) and the Jewish Faculty Network.”

The labelling pro-Palestinian Jewish groups such as IJV as “pawns” trivializes their agency, while the language used leans on harmful stereotypes, portraying them as inherently deceitful or violent. These distortions undermine productive discourse and pander to a narrow, one-sided narrative as Mr. Gordon conflates criticism of Israel with antisemitism. He does so by vilifying dissent as dangerous and hateful and defaming pro-Palestine Jewish groups as “Israel haters” for “dusting off their Jewish membership card to use as a shield against criticism, or appropriating Jewish names to lend credibility to their causes.” 

This misrepresentation perpetuates anti-Palestinian racism as defined by the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association, which includes the defamation of groups who express solidarity with the Palestinian cause. Mr. Gordon also undermines Palestinian advocacy by erasing valid critiques of Israel’s policies of apartheid which have been voiced by numerous human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch.

This article exemplifies the kind of rhetoric that stifles open debate, and further marginalized minority voices.

Rather than dismiss Jewish groups who have expressed solidarity with the Palestinian advocacy movement in Canada, the National Post should include their perspectives or, at the very least, challenge their opinions based on the merit of their arguments, not through personal attacks on their identities as marginalized groups. This would better encourage meaningful dialogue on this critical issue.

Anthony Issa

Media Analyst
CJPME