Steinberg's group claims that civil society should endorse the government's policy and that it poses a danger to the state when it does not. In "The Trojan Horse", a report co-sponsored by the Institute for Zionist Strategies (Chairman Yisrael Harel is himself an illegal settler and a founder of the extremist Gush Emunim settler movement), Israeli NGOs are accused of being a fifth column because they receive funds from abroad. There is no criticism of ultra-nationalist groups receiving foreign funding from controversial sources in the report. NGOM itself receives funds from US-based family foundations, so by their own reasoning JCPA and NGOM themselves were and may become again Trojan horses, considering that although their position towards Israel/Palestine aligns with the current Israeli extremist government, it would not under a government that seeks a land-for-peace resolution of the conflict. Since donations through foundations are tax deductible, NGOM is in fact funded by the US taxpayers.
*****
So how does this affect Canada? The ideological insertion of Israel into our institutions, including inside Parliament, and the politicization of human rights have a negative impact not only on the institutions themselves, but on our democratic rights as it makes impossible any pragmatic understanding of issues, and stifles the necessary strong debates that underpin democracies.
On August 31, 2009, NGOM made a submission to the CPCCA. The CPCCA is not an official parliamentary body but a multi-party voluntary association of Parliamentarians who are holding an inquiry into antisemitism because "The extent and severity of anti-semitism is widely regarded as at its worst level since the end of the Second World War." The aim of CPCCA is valid as racism continues to be an issue that needs to be addressed. However, seeking to equate criticism of a foreign government (Israel) with antisemitism is a dangerous proposition. The witnesses that are called do not seem to represent the wide variety of opinions in Canadian society or in the submissions. Cotler and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney are the driving force behind the CPCCA and are listed as ex-officio members. Kenney, who gave KAIROS' de-funding as an example of how the Canadian government dealt with antisemitism, is slated to appear as a witness on February 8, 2010. Interestingly, there is no indication of how the CPCCA is funded. This information should be posted on the website, for the sake of transparency and accountability.
Just as the extreme right in North America has moved the political centre towards the right, the pro-Israel organizations have been instrumental in tilting the discourse in favour of Israel, through intimidation and various other tactics, along with its attempts to conflate criticism of Israeli policies with antisemitism.
While contributing nothing but a potential divide within our multicultural society, NGOM has also created a chill within civil society. In fact, its attacks based not on first hand research since they do not visit Gaza have shut down any possibility of a thoughtful dialogue about the role of civil society, the role of NGOs in Canadian (or other) society, and fair and equal access by NGOs to decision makers and government. It is to be noted that since its ascent to power, the current government has not met with national organizations that deal with Arab-Canada issues in spite of repeated requests.
Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
2
2
2
