"It’s amazing to me that when it comes to Israel, and only Israel, Canadian governments suspend all our supposedly cherished values of multiculturalism, racial and religious equality, and rule of law."
Dear Editor,
Thanks to Andrew Phillips for reporting on the unfolding genocide in Gaza. I do, however, agree with the writer who noted that Israel’s slaughter of Gazans didn’t start with the Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023. You don’t have to go back to the Nakba of 1948, in which Palestinians were driven from their homeland and concentrated in Gaza. To cite only the most recent example, in 2018, the UN documented 183 Gazans killed and several thousands injured by Israeli snipers as they protested Israel’s blockade of the territory and the denial of the right of return for Palestinian refugees, which is guaranteed in international law. If there was any doubt, Israel’s intention to ethnically cleanse historic Palestine of Palestinians was made clear in Wednesday’s Knesset vote of 71-13, for a non-binding motion to Annex the West Bank, declaring it “an inseparable part of the Land of Israel, the historical, cultural and spiritual homeland of the Jewish people.” It’s amazing to me that when it comes to Israel, and only Israel, Canadian governments suspend all our supposedly cherished values of multiculturalism, racial and religious equality, and rule of law.
Richard Fung