“Canada’s relations with the Arab/Muslim world are second in importance and difficulty only to its relationship with the United States. The one serious threat to Canadian citizens now stems from the mounting anger of Arabs and other Muslims, fomented largely by Israel’s long-standing occupation of Palestine. The Mid-East conflict has for sixty years been the principal issue on the agenda of the UN General Assembly, a body in which Canadians like to shine. Trade with the Middle East, while modest, is largely in manufactured goods, the sort favoured by Canadian exporters.”
The paragraph above is from a lengthy article by Professor Peyton Lyon, a distinguished Canadian scholar.
Dr. Lyon is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Carleton University. He was a Rhodes Scholar, and obtained his D.Phil. from Oxford University. He served in the RCAF from 1940 to 1945.
Liberal Foreign Affairs critic Bob Rae, like Dr. Lyon, is also a Rhodes Scholar.
The difference between the two men is not related to their intelligence, but rather to their respective ability to analyse and discuss policy in ways that are logical and that make sense, in the interests of our country.
What I’m linking to here is a readable dissertation by Dr. Lyon that explores, defines and explains the Canada/Israel relationship and the pressures that have formed it. Personally, I find it painful to write this. I find it sad that our government has found it acceptable to capitulate to pressure by advocates for another country.
In fact, it’s unthinkable that Canada should be held hostage to a foreign government in terms of the formation of the policies our country pursues.
And it’s not just Stephen Harper’s Conservatives that do this, the Liberal Party and the NDP are equally culpable. Take a bow, Mr. Mulcair.
So in spite of the pain I feel, or perhaps because of it, I am sharing Dr. Lyon’s remarkable essay on the Israeli Lobby.
What follows is Professor Lyon’s essay on the extent and depth of the pro-Israel Lobby in this country.
Jim:
Israel has the unwavering support of the Conservative Party because the old Reform party is ideologically wedded to Israel.
The Liberal and NDP Parties is wedded because of the “Percy effect”. The Jewish lobby has shown that any member who stands against Israel will likely not get re-elected. And its true even though Jews represent less than 2% of our population. This is partially due to their control of the media as per Peyton Lyon’s article but also because they have money and are extremely active and effective in campaigning and advertising to assure that a targeted candidate will not get re-elected.
But if an entire Party were to alter its stand, the Jewish Lobby would prove powerless. They do not have the money and influence to take on an entire Party across Canada. In fact, it would probably cause a backlash against them. What we lack is courage in the Party Leadership to take a stand for what is right because of a misplaced fear. We have 600,000 Muslims in Canada and less than 400,000 Jews. The perceived power of the Jewish Lobby is unfortunately vastly overestimated.
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Just to “adjust” a few things:
Muslims in Canada are over 900,000 Canadians, with approximately a third (33%)being Arab.
In addition,there are about 300,000 Arab Christians as well. So in Canada there are approximately 600,000 Arab Canadians.
And I have to state this. It is not about religion(s). It is not about Muslims and Jews. It is about Zionists, who number way over 400,000 mainly Jews but also others. Many Jews are anti-Zionist.
The issue is not numbers; the issue concerns the strategic positions and power of the people involved. I am not – I repeat not in favour of drawing lines or taking sides or playing one off against another.
I am in favour of rational, logical, humanist thinking, analysis and action.
Many of my Jewish friends are pro-Israel, but at the same time many of them see that the Israeli government has been bringing Judaism into disrepute simply by virtue of association.
A doctor acquaintance of mine in Florida goes every year to The West Bank and Gaza to practice medicine and teach.
He calls it his “time of atonement”.