Zionism and the New McCarthyism
Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham addressed the 17th Policy Conference of the Canada-Israel Committee held in Ottawa on March 6th. Graham was invited by the organizers of the event and used the occasion to stress the continued support of the Canadian government for the State of Israel. During his remarks, he repeatedly condemned the suicide bomb attacks against Israelis and emphasized that the Canadian government would continue to pressure Yasser Arafat to eliminate terrorism.
"Canada, as a friend of Israel," Graham said, "questions, even in the tense situation that prevails in this very difficult time, certain practices that we do not believe contribute to peace. Innocent civilian casualties, regardless of their background or religion, are not justifiable and ultimately compromise Israel's image as a vital and compassionate nation, as well as undermining the hopes of Palestinians and instilling bitterness - prejudicing the prospects for a fair-minded peace."
Given that the Israeli government's policy of collective punishment, which has included shelling and bombing raids against Palestinian villages and refugee camps, has resulted in the deaths of 1,197 Palestinians and over 18,000 Palestinians injured since the renewal of the intifada in September 2000, Graham's criticisms seem mild indeed. The United Nations has repeatedly condemned the crimes committed by Israeli Defence Forces in the occupied territories. The European Union has condemned Israel for killing Palestinian civilians and bombing civilian infrastructure including schools and public institutions, some of which were built with EU funds. Even the United States, which supplies Israel with billions of dollars in financial and military aid every year, has called on the Sharon government to exercise greater "restraint".
Despite the fact that Graham's comments were so mild, they drew boos from the clearly partisan crowd, and he was openly rebuked by Canada-Israel Committee president Joe Wilder. In the days that followed, many editorials in national and local papers condemned Graham's comments, arguing (in the case of the Winnipeg Free Press) that Palestinian casualties were the unintended result of Israeli government anti-terrorist operations while Israelis killed by suicide bombers were directly targetted. This flies in the face of testimony from soldiers in the IDF, over a hundred of whom have now publicly declared their refusal to serve in the occupied territories because they will be ordered to commit crimes against Palestinian civilians.
The attacks on Graham are reminiscent of the McCarthyite period of the Cold War era, during which any criticism of American foreign policy was forbidden and those daring to speak the truth were harassed and persecuted. What is equally disturbing about this entire affair is that, in sharp contrast to his support for Defence Minister Manley's lying to the House of Commons, Prime Minister Chretien was quick to disassociate himself from Graham's remarks, pledging unquestioning support for Israel and its genocidal policies against the Palestinians.