Canada has been operating as an apologist state for “Israel”, entertaining Zionist demands to overlook glaring war crimes and reinforce a brutal, illegal and unequivocally unjust pro-occupation status–quo.
The Canadian government’s unwarranted support for the Israeli occupation knows no bounds.
In the latest instance, Ottawa indicated that Israeli settlers migrate to its territory after tensions escalated in northern occupied Palestine. The goal is to peddle falsehoods about so-called “security threats” faced by the settlers, and further endorse the massacres and atrocities of a genocidal regime. Canada is no stranger to the fact that “Israel” has slaughtered over 37,600 Palestinians in Gaza.
And yet, it focuses its sensitivities on Israeli settlers that have violated Palestinians’ fundamental freedoms. Canada’s offer to ‘protect’ them demands a firm reckoning of its role in the Israeli genocide, and the factors motivating its prejudice.
First, “Israel” has been preparing the ground for mass escalation with the Lebanese resistance in northern occupied Palestine, and stands no chance of succeeding in any full-scale war. The resistance’s tactical advances against the occupation, and its right to protect Lebanon’s sovereignty, have drawn anxiety within the occupying regime. “Israel” knows that any future cross-border provocations will prove self-destructive, and Canada has chosen to side with the genocidal regime.
Rather than compelling “Israel” to end its illegal occupation in northern Palestine, Canada is keen on protecting illegal settlers at all costs. This is only the latest addition to Canada’s support for the Israeli onslaught through arms, funds, and diplomatic support. For example, Ottawa has refused international scrutiny into Israel’s genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and ramped-up Canadian-Israeli military trade at a time when thousands of Palestinians breathed their last. Even it’s so-called “arms embargo” on “Israel” was a farce: The Canadian government didn’t extend its scope to weapons that were already approved for the occupation. For all the rhetoric on democratic values and human rights, Canada actually greenlit weapons exports to “Israel” after October 7 and is refusing to deliver on its obligation to recognize Palestinian statehood.
Thus, Canada’s brazen endorsement of occupation interests – whether through settler protections or neglect of Palestinian blood – should raise alarms world-over. If Canada is so determined to uphold the mantle of justice, where are long-overdue protections for thousands of Palestinians in the throes of the Israeli onslaught? Why has Ottawa refused to take meaningful measures to back the Palestinian resistance and support their inalienable right to resist decades of brutal occupation?
The truth is that Canada has been operating as an apologist state for “Israel”, entertaining Zionist demands to overlook glaring war crimes and reinforce a brutal, illegal and unequivocally unjust pro-occupation status-quo. Its academic institutions are also doing “Israel’s” bidding and silencing pro-Palestinian voices with brazen consistency. Look to the renowned McGill University: demands on divestment from pro-Palestinian protestors are still pending movement, and the institution plans to target these peaceful voices through court action. This is the real face of a nation that keeps pushing Israeli propaganda on Gaza, and refuses to even recognize anti-Palestinian racism as a pressing issue. As the Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) puts it, Canada’s Special Envoy Deborah Lyons – handpicked by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau – “has been focused on attacking Palestinian Canadians and other critics of racist Israeli practices.” This is not just complicity in Israeli crimes – it is endorsement, sponsorship and reinforcement of a genocidal and racist occupation.
Canada’s sanctions against the Palestinian resistance are also a striking act of occupation pandering. It reflects a glaring attempt to discredit Palestine’s legitimate resistance and peddle Israeli falsehoods on terrorism. But attempts to malign Palestine’s resistance will not succeed. It will only reveal Canada’s glaring double standards on Palestinians, and fuel momentum against the genocidal regime. This can be witnessed in rising pro-Palestinian protests in Canada, which have defied government pressure and emerged resilient. Continued Canadian endorsement of occupation crimes will also drive up national and regional support against Israeli atrocities, war crimes, and genocidal activities. A key government press release this week has shown that Canada wants to drift scrutiny away from Israeli belligerence in Gaza, a move that is unsurprising for an apologist state that profits from the blood of innocent Palestinians.
The resistance will not yield, but Canadian scheming is set to be exposed in full. After all, Canada is among allied NATO countries that are fretting at the possibility of an all-out escalation between Hezbollah and “Israel”. This is important because Canada has moved to discredit the Lebanese and Palestinian resistance through fictious “terrorism” labels this week, a move that is designed to shield Canada’s actual “terrorist financing” for the genocidal Israeli occupation.
Ottawa is thus unqualified to speak on human rights and democratic freedoms because it aids, sponsors and justifies Israeli massacres against Palestinians. The country’s actions against pro-Palestinian voices and the Palestinian resistance signal embrace of Israeli war criminals, and a genocide it helped fuel from the ground-up.
The opinions mentioned in this article do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Al mayadeen, but rather express the opinion of its writer exclusively.
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