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26 November 2013

Does Canada's knee-jerk loyalty benefit Israel?

Right on cue, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attacked the new nuclear deal with Iran hardly before the ink was dry, calling it a "historic mistake," stating he was not bound by it, claiming the world had become a "more dangerous place," and reiterating his threat to use military action against Iran as he saw fit.

This belligerence was, also on cue, echoed by our federal government, with Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird expressing deep skepticism about the deal and declaring our sanctions against Iran, for what they're worth, will remain in full force.

One wonders if our knee-jerk support, regardless of the circumstances, really benefits Israel. After all, one of the most important services a good friend can offer is constructive criticism when you are doing something wrong, and Israel has done much wrong to the Palestinians. At one time, while never hiding our friendship with Israel, we also supported the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinians. This allowed us to act as an honest broker in attempting to bring the two sides together.

Now we mindlessly support Israel's transgressions against both the Palestinians and international law, leaving us with no role to play but that of lap dog. We do not help Israel by rendering ourselves impotent in the effort to resolve the Palestine conflict, the greatest source of tension in the Middle East and the greatest barrier to Israel living at peace with its neighbours. Our government may think itself a good friend, but it is in fact a useless one.
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3 comments:

  1. Kirbycairo26 November 2013 at 12:22

    Israel's actions are simple to comprehend - their long-term goal has always been to take all the land of Palestine, and they have been gradually doing just that. But to keep up this slow act of theft it is imperative that they maintain instability in the Middle-East, always having enemies to point to in the game of smoke and mirrors. Perpetually portraying themselves as victims or potential victims makes their gradual takeover easy for much of the international community to ignore.

    Meanwhile, Harper's mindless support of Israel seems to stem from a bizarre form of dispensationalism.

    Baird's support is a little more complex. But those around the circles of Ottawa know exactly where it comes from.

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  2. doconnor26 November 2013 at 13:52

    I think Netanyahu's actions aren't part of some master plan. It's the same reason politicians do almost everything, to win the next election. Having a enemies is vital for a tough guy like him to get votes.

    That the end result of his Palestinian strategy is one multi-ethnic state is of no concern to him.

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  3. The Mound of Sound26 November 2013 at 15:26

    First Israel lost the carte-blanche support of the E.U. That left Canada and the U.S. as their last 'real' allies. Then the U.S. cuts a deal with Iran and refuses to wage war on Syria even as it distances itself from Israel over Palestine.

    Perversely enough, the leaves the theocrats of Canada as Israel's sole remaining BFF.

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