By Judi McLeod
Friday, December 1, 2006
Ex-USa President Jimmy Carter has almost as much to say about the follies of the George W. Bush administration, as does documentary filmmaker Michael Moore.
Moore still doles out advice to Canada about the inherent dangers of modern-day conservativism, but up until now Carter has kept his pro-Democrat activism south of the border.
On Monday Carter said Canada should speak out forcefully in favour of the so-called "road map for peace", which calls for the Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories.
"I haven't seen this strong statement coming from the government of Canada," Carter told The Canadian Press.
Within three days Canada was at the United Nations legitimizing the use of UN resolutions to "demonize" Israel.
In fact Canada, was demonizing one nation, while ignoring the truly serious human rights violations of other member states, according to the non-profit Canadian Coalition for Democracies (CCD).
"Until resolutions are applied even handedly to all UN members, Canada must express its condemnation by voting `no' on all such resolutions," said outspoken CCD president, alastair Gordon.
"In its first 42 years, the UN tabled 370 resolutions condemning Israel and zero resolutions critical o f the PLO or any arab state. When Syria slaughtered 20,000 of its own citizens at Hama in 1982, or when it sponsored the destruction and occupation of Lebanon, or even when Iraq massacred its Kurdish citizens with poison gas, there were no UN resolutions criticizing the perpetrators. In recent years, a handful of resolutions have targeted other Middle Eastern states, but the lion's share is still reserved for Israel."
Canada's turnabout in Manhattan was hardly expected from a government that accepts adulation from some quarters for its public pro-Israel stand.
Even former Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin registered disdain for how Israel is treated at the UN.
In October 2005, Martin referred to "the annual ritual of politicized anti-Israel resolutions" at the UN.
In November 2004, Canada's then ambassador to the United Nations, allan Rock, announced to the General assembly that "resolutions (against Israel) are often divisive and lack balance."
"Yet even with this recognition, both our past and present governments anti-Israel voting pattern has barely changed," Gordon laments.
The Fourth Committee on Wednesday tabled nine ritualized resolutions targeting Israel for criticism. Canada voted against Israel on seven, and supported Israel on two. The only change from last year's voting pattern was the change of one abstention to a `no'.
"The Stephen Harper government has taken a number of principled foreign policy positions that Canadians can be proud of. Yet it is choosing to continue the despicable bullying of one nation, a travesty that was identified by our former Prime Minister and UN ambassador," added Gordon. "Until UN resolutions are an unbiased tool applied equally to all member states, Canada's response to all ritualized anti-Israel resolutions must be NO."
Delivering speeches ostensibly supporting Israel, but voting against it at the United Nations is employing the tactics of politically correct rogue nations.
Words don't help Israel, action does.
Meanwhile Canada doesn't look good dressed in the garb of the common bully, or gaining admiration masquerading as `Canukistan' in Manhattan.
Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com
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