On August 31, 2009, NGOM made a submission to the Canadian Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Anti-semitism (CPCCA). 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 trend. The witnesses that are called do not seem to represent the wide variety of opinions in Canadian society or in the submissions. Cotler and 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 center towards the right, the pro-Israeli organizations have been instrumental in tilting the discourse in favor of Israel, through intimidation and various other tactics, along with its attempts to conflate criticism of Israeli policies with anti-semitism.
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.
Israeli propaganda draftees may find fault with human rights NGOs who hold that the law is universal and have been producing reports pointing at the different ways Israel violates the rule of law against Palestinians, both in Israel and in the Occupied Territories. But these NGOs are not the problem. The problem is Israel's refusal to abide by the human rights and humanitarian laws of the various treaties to which it is party. Instead of urging Israel to fulfill its legal responsibilities, the propagandists find it easier to shoot the messengers and browbeat governments and institutions into accepting that Palestinians should not and do not have the same rights they enjoy.
"The only democracy in the Middle East" is a rogue state. Since the fateful General Assembly partition resolution, the Security Council has passed scores of resolutions, the first of which, Resolution 57 of September 18, 1948, expressed "deep shock at the assassination of the UN Mediator in Palestine, Count Folke Bernadotte, by Zionist terrorists."
No, the UN is not irrationally fixated on Israel. It is the duty of the world body to keep reminding us that the Palestine file is still open because Israel has implemented no UN resolution fully, including the Partition resolution, which divided Palestine into two states, and the resolution accepting Israel as a UN member. Should the UN stop its scrutiny as Steinberg and friends wish, it will have betrayed the spirit in which it was created. It will also indicate that non-respect of international law is rewarded given time, a dangerous message considering all the abusers and potential abusers around the world.
NGOM may have its place within Israeli civil society, but not within Canadian society. Its heavy-handed tactics are deeply anti-democratic, and go counter to the plurality of thought and expression within our society. The Orwellian view that "some are more equal than others" cannot be allowed to prevail in Canada.
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