The government report is a transparently dishonest attempt to shut down pro-Palestinian and anti-Zionist activism on campuses by misrepresenting opposition to Israel as Jew hatred. It was sponsored by the Canadian government, which supports Israel and has adopted the discredited IHRA definition of antisemitism. Its first author is a Zionist, who once held an executive position in a pro-Israel organization.

It is this determination to live apart, rather than ideological pacifism, that explains the Haredim resistance to conscription. The few Haredim who did join the army in specially created segregated units have acted no less brutally than the average IDF soldier. In his denunciation, Rabbi Lando used the word retsah for murder, the same root as that uttered in the prohibition “Thou shalt not kill” in the Ten Commandments. This choice of language made his accusation particularly grievous. 

Multiple analyses have shown how the Toronto Star is biased against Palestinians. A Breach analysis of the Star’s coverage two and half months after the October 7 attack found the paper used the term “massacre” to describe violence inflicted on Israeli 73 times vs only 19 times for Palestinians. Employed 27 times, the term “slaughter” was exclusively reserved for what happened to Israelis.

Israel acts with a sense of impunity, without fearing significant international consequences. Within Western governments there are members of parliament, diplomats, and senior officials who have become advocates for Israel. Any criticism of Israeli government policies is then immediately portrayed as a new form of antisemitism.