By Margaret Villamizar
For all their laments about the violence and civilian lives lost in Gaza and Israel, the U.S. and Canada stand exposed as shameless enablers of Israel’s war crimes and crimes against humanity. Under the hoax of upholding high ideals they refuse to condemn Israel’s collective punishment of the Palestinians it has trapped inside Gaza, asserting that Israel has a right to defend itself against those who are resisting its crimes against the Palestinian people — the annexation of more and more of their lands as part of its policy of ethnic cleansing.
Far from the U.S. or Canada holding Israel to account for its violations of international law and scores of UN resolutions, including the resolution that established the state of Israel, they are its biggest enablers. The U.S. role is well known, but Canada’s less so. In addition to selling weapons to Israel, successive Canadian governments have allowed the open recruitment within Canada of Canadian youth by the Israeli Defence Forces, despite it being an offence under Canadian law to recruit or induce anyone to join the military of a foreign country. But that is not all. In January 2020 the Canadian ambassador to Israel actually organized a dinner party at the embassy in Tel Aviv for Canadians serving in the Israeli military, saying the embassy was very proud of what they were doing and wanted to continue supporting them.
The trumpeting of Canada’s close friendship and shared values with Israel carried on even as its security forces invaded the Al Aqsa mosque in East Jerusalem and fired tear gas, stun grenades and rubber-coated steel bullets at those worshipping inside — in the midst of Ramadan. It continued throughout Israel’s 11-day killing spree and destruction of Gaza. How can there be negotiations with a Netanyahu for whom mass murder and destruction is a preferred strategy for achieving his aims? How are calls to “de-escalate” genocide and ethnic cleansing even rational, let alone acceptable? War crimes and violations of international humanitarian law must be stopped in their tracks, not “scaled back”! The Palestinian people have every right, as the massive worldwide protests are making clear, to resist such heinous crimes and the occupation itself. The Palestinian people are undertaking responsibility not only for their own future generations and themselves, but for humanity itself.
If not for the rockets of the Palestinian resistance, Israel would keep on getting away with the crimes that have been the hallmark of its occupation, and that its enablers help cover up. It is the Palestinian people’s steadfast refusal to submit and their determination to continue resisting until liberation that has won them the unprecedented support of people all over the world in defence of their just cause. The outrage directed toward the Israeli Zionists has extended to their enablers as well. Speakers, slogans and signs carried at the mass demonstrations that have filled the streets of cities all over the U.S. and Canada have made clear that in spite of all their attempts to portray themselves as peacemakers and champions of human rights, the statements from the likes of U.S. President Biden, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Canada’s Prime Minister, and Foreign Minister are irrational ramblings of those who have no arguments or principles worthy of the name. They have much to answer for, both to the Palestinian people and the peoples of their own countries.
TML Monthly Supplement, No. 12, May 24, 2021
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