reed writes

Liberal Foreign Affairs Critic

Robert Keith “Bob” Rae is a politician.

He recently attended the City of Toronto’s Gay Pride Celebration.

Prior to that, he issued a statement supporting gender equality and Gay Rights. But the key part of his statement referred to a particular group that marched in the Parade. Here’s the quote that jumped out at me:

“I deeply regret the decision of some to use the events this week to attack the state of Israel, and in particular to accuse Israel of being “an apartheid regime”.  Israel’s record on human rights, respect for the rule of law, and in particular its support of gay and lesbian rights stands as a notable exception to the practice elsewhere in the Middle East, where many countries still consider homosexuality to be a crime, in some cases punishable by death, where democratic elections are still non-existent, and respect for independent courts and the rule of law unknown.”

Few in Canada know better how to recognize oppression, prejudice and segregation than the Canadian Gay and Lesbian community. When it comes to human rights violations, the gay community knows what that means. So it seems odd that Mr. Rae would decide to lecture them on the subject.

Moreover, it is not helpful to make comparisons between the State of Israel and its neighbours with respect to the question of gender equality and gay rights. Unlike its neighbours, Israel is a western-style, settler state, with deep societal roots in Europe and North America. Millions of Israelis have their cultural and family origins in the West. So it’s quite normal to expect their government to adhere to certain western standards. It’s no surprise that Israel supports and approves of Homosexual Rights. In fact it would be surprising if Israel did not support those rights.

It’s my view, as well as the view of many other Canadians and not a few distinguished Israeli scholars such as Ilan Pappe, Avi Shlaim and other internationally respected public figures, that Israel is indeed a State that occupies, oppresses and segregates those whom it regards as threatening or inferior, specifically, the Palestinian Arabs.

In fact Avrum Burg, who was the Speaker of the 15th Knesset, Chairman of the Jewish Agency and also head of the World Zionist Council, has called for an end to Israeli occupation and settlement expansion; he advocates a complete withdrawal from all occupied territory.

Speaker Burg has written that, “The Israeli nation today rests on…foundations of oppression and injustice”. Would you characterize Avrum Burg as an anti-Semite?

Perhaps, Mr. Rae, it’s not “Apartheid” in the strict definition of that term.

Perhaps it’s something else. We know that among many right-wing Israeli politicians, there is open talk of schemes to “transfer” Palestinians from their own land to Jordan and/or other neighbouring Arab countries.

Would you approve of that? Of course you wouldn’t, because it would be morally repugnant. Even Daniel Pipes, an ardent supporter of Israel agrees such an act would be inflammatory.

According to news reports, all across Israel you can see alarming graffiti that reads, ‘Arabs out’—like Juden raus. Not very pleasant is it? Those who care – say that although such graffiti is written by hoodlums and extremists – the municipalities on whose walls it is written, often do not bother to erase it. By not speaking out against such outrages, we give them tacit approval.

(In the 1930’s we also failed to speak out.)

Of course you would not approve such an action because you know very well it is even worse than morally repugnant.

Your failure, like that of so many others, to grasp the nettle of exposing the illegal and reprehensible aspects of Israeli behaviour will make achieving a peace deal increasingly difficult. It will reinforce present Israeli  policy, which certainly flirts with and borders on Apartheid, as even Defence Minister Ehud Barak has suggested.

Until you begin to speak out in support of fundamental truth and justice, Mr. Rae, your words of support for gender equality, are merely the usual hollow political posturing and begging for support…just a bunch of empty words.

And with respect to the Middle East, about all we do know of your policy position is that apparently Israel can do no wrong. Many thousands of Israelis would disagree with you. They would say that you’re mistaken to criticise a group for attacking Israeli policies that impose collective punishment on a whole people and systematically expropriate (steal) their lands.

Just take a look at the maps.

Even Anthony Cordesman, a staunch supporter of Israel and one of America’s foremost security experts, calls Israel a “strategic liability”, given the behaviour of its government.

I know you read the New York Times Mr Rae…I’ve watched you leafing though it.

It must have galled you to read Nicholas Kristoff’s recent columns…http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/01/opinion/01kristof.html?_r=1

When you become more tuned in to what is right and wrong in this world and when you develop a more advanced standard of personal morals and ethics, then you will deserve to be listened to and heeded as a Member of the Canadian Parliament.

At the moment, you are speaking with a forked tongue.