Jewish group challenges Harper's knee-jerk support for Israeli government

May 30, 2011

“Instead of taking steps to promote a resolution to the ongoing crisis in Israel and Palestine, the Harper government supports the government of Israel regardless of what it does,” declared Sid Shniad, spokesperson for Independent Jewish Voices Canada.

“Israel's hard right, intransigent government is delighted with Harper,” Shniad explained. “It was because of Canada that there was no mention of Israel's pre-1967 borders made in the leaders' final communiqué released by the gathering of G8 leaders in France. Even Barack Obama, who never ceases to declare his support for Israel, has come to the realization that no progress can be made in reaching a settlement without an Israeli agreement to withdraw from the territory it has occupied since 1967.”

In the final communiqué that was issued by the G8, the leaders called for the immediate resumption of peace talks. But due to the blocking action by the Harper government, they did not mention 1967, the year Israel seized the West Bank and Gaza from Jordan and Egypt during the Six-Day War.

“Israel's continuing occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and the Golan Heights are a clear violation of international law, according to both UN Resolutions and the Geneva Convention,” Shniad continued. “Our government should not be encouraging another government to continue violating the law with impunity.”

“It is because of governments' continuing refusal to promote a genuine resolution of the conflict in Israel and Palestine that our organization affirms its support for grassroots-based, non-violent actions and campaigns such as the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, to pressure Israel to do the right thing," he concluded.


For more information contact:
Sid Shniad
Spokesperson
Independent Jewish Voices
Phone: 604-314-5589
Cell: 604-314-5589
Email: shniad@gmail.com
Website: www.independentjewishvoices.ca

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Independent Jewish Voices

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