POSTED RESPONSES TO A COLUMN BY PATRICK MARTIN IN TORONTO'S GLOBE AND MAIL
Yes, and Harper will be shaking hands with a dark and blood-stained criminal.
Harper's intense support for Israel, frequently leading to his blurting outrageous statements not at all in keeping with the balanced views of most Canadians, and taking into account his position as a party leader only supported by one-third of voters, is one more evidence of Harper's essentially anti-democratic mindset.
Birds of a feather....
Israel's maintaining its three-year blockade of one and half million people combined with frequent forays of murder with high-tech hardware is nothing short of a crime against humanity.
It is a lineal descendent of the filthy work of the Irgun and Stern Gang at the time of Israel's founding.
Those good old boys assaulted peaceful villages, shooting civilians, including women and children, to terrorize the Palestinians into running away and leaving their land for Israelis to occupy.
They succeeded, but the Palestinians often did not run far enough. Ever since, Gaza has been a giant refugee camp and a hated nightmare by every Israeli leader.
Well, the current Israeli politicians have found the solution: starve and abuse those refugees, including women and children, until they leave or abase themselves into utterly docile inferiors in an apartheid state.
There is no other explanation for what is happening.
Harper’s handshake will be one of dark shame, much as when the late Prince of Wales shook Hitler’s hand and smiled broadly.
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"Of course, Harper is looking forward to a reciprocal visit to Israel."
Yes, and plenty of campaign contributions from the Israel Lobby.
In almost everything he does, Harper emulates the worst of the Republican Party, bringing divisive policies and hateful actions into our largely fair-minded politics in Canada.
It's called winning at any cost, and it just happens to be Israel's official policy in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem.
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"Why all this hate for the only democracy in the Middle east. Why must everything be political? What do you suggest Israel do then?"
Those sad words sum up the lack of logical thinking and the implicit vicious attitude of apologists for Israel.
First, no one hates Israel, but people hate blatant injustice and savage behavior and dishonesty.
Only democracy in the Middle East? God, what a tiresome and meaningless slogan.
The people who repeat that seem never to have thought that democracies are just as capable of evil as other forms of government.
There are many examples, stretching from the American Confederacy - a democracy if you weren't black - to Apartheid South Africa - again, a democracy if you weren't black and apparently Israel's model in its approach to policy.
If Israel's behavior is that of a democracy, it's likely just as well there are no other "democracies" in the region.
What do people suggest Israel do then?
How about starting with treating Palestinians as humans and neighbors?
How about stopping the continuous stealing of the property of others?
How about opening the jails with an estimated 10,000 illegally held prisoners?
How about making the bloodbath in Gaza the last such atrocity Israel commits?
How about working honestly for genuine peace, instead of this decades old dishonesty covering a slow ethnic cleansing?
How about simply behaving as that word democracy is supposed to imply?
Believe me, Israel’s critics will quickly perceive and welcome genuine honesty and decency, qualities utterly missing in every word uttered and action taken by Israel’s leaders today.
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Post script: The cowardly Netanyahu hurriedly flew home to Israel after news broke of Israel’s atrocity on the high seas against people trying to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza.
