When Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper first took his principled stand to support Israel during the recent Middle East war, there was a rush to condemn him for his "out of the mainstream" position. Polls, pundits and practicalities were put forward to prove all the many reasons why this was a dumb political move, often without even a rueful acknowledgment establishing the moral justification for Harper's position.
This week the candidates jockeying for leadership of the Liberals, our main opposition party, race to avoid being considered as pro-hezbollah. Maybe now they don't consider Harper's stand quite so "out of the mainstream" anymore..?
MP Wrzesnewskyj resigns over Hezbollah comments
Embattled Liberal MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj has resigned as deputy foreign affairs critic following the uproar over his comments suggesting Canada should negotiate with Hezbollah.
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After the Toronto MP suggested the Mideast peace process would benefit from Canada being more open to talking to Hezbollah, Liberal leadership hopefuls Scott Brison and Carolyn Bennett had immediately demanded Wrzesnewskyj step down from his post, saying his comments were "unacceptable."
The comments quickly became the central topic of the three-day Liberal caucus retreat in Vancouver, which was supposed to be a strategy session for the upcoming session of Parliament.
All 10 leadership candidates condemned the remarks, including Wrzesnewskyj's preferred candidate Gerard Kennedy.
At a news conference Tuesday, [Conservative MP Jason Kenney] blasted Wrzesnewskyj, calling his comments nothing short of a sign of support for terrorist groups.
"Their idea of a balanced approach is one where Israel is always wrong," said Kenney. "This represents a totally irresponsible approach to foreign security policy."
Wrzesnewskyj, who was one of three opposition MPs on the Mideast mission, said Monday he favoured changing a Canadian law that forbids contact with known terrorist organizations.
He said the law undermines efforts to obtain lasting peace between Israel and Hezbollah fighters.
Wrzesnewskyj denied media reports that claimed he wants Hezbollah taken off Ottawa's official list of terrorist organizations.
"I've said all along that Hezbollah is a terrorist organization and will continue to be," Wrzesnewskyj told reporters.
"Where I have difficulty is with the legislation that says a group on the list cannot be communicated with."
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[What possible kind of communication was the Liberal MP expecting? This isn't a labor dispute that might end in a wildcat strike, or a child custody battle; it's a hate-fueled attack on a civilized people by a pack of barbaric savages, whose stated objective is to settle for nothing less than the obliteration of the nation of Israel. It's not about money, or material needs: it's about spiritual needs. On Israel's side, it is the conscientious struggle to survive and remain civilized while doing so, despite being surrounded by bloodthirsty maniacs hellbent on destroying them (stripping Israel of its civility in the process, through hiding behind human shields, among other evils), whereas for hezbollah it is an attempt to exterminate the neighborhood of every Israeli, and anyone sympathetic to them, so that they can postpone confronting the fatal flaws of their islamist belief system.
Survival, extermination; where's the middle ground to be negotiated for a "lasting peace"? Only killing some people, in accordance with a scheduled quota??
Thank God our prime minister continues to understand the "nuances" of the war which elude these deluded MPs...]
Harper says comparison of Hezbollah, Nazis is fair
OTTAWA - Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Tuesday it's not unfair to liken Hezbollah to the Nazis, who once ruled Germany, because both stand for the destruction of the ''Jewish nation.''
In an interview with CanWest News Service, Harper was asked if the comparison made earlier in the day by his parliamentary secretary Conservative MP Jason Kenney, was appropriate.
''Like all comparisons, it's true in some ways, and not in others,'' he said, ''but as near as I can tell, both Hezbollah and the Nazi party stand for the elimination of the Jewish nation. So I think that's pretty fundamental and, in that sense, I don't think it's unfair.
''I think those who associate themselves with Hezbollah in this country are operating beyond the pale, and they're frankly operating in defence of an organization that is an illegal criminal organization in this country," said Harper.
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