The U.S. departed almost radically from an habitual practice on a resolution at a United Nations Security Council meeting Monday. It didn’t vote in Israel’s favour. The Council passed a resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza during the remaining weeks of Ramadan. The resolution passed with 14 votes
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Paul S. Graham: Gaza Stories
“Gaza – Stories of Grief, Resilience and Hope” was hosted by the Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba and Independent Jewish Voices Winnipeg at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg on March 16, 2024. As the title suggests, members of the Palestinian diaspora in Winnipeg share the impact this
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: The Housefather fallacy
Liberal MP and prominent Israeli apologist, Anthony Housefather, has neatly expressed Canada’s approach to the illusory two-state solution proposed for Palestine. On Monday, the NDP proposed a motion in the House of Commons that would support a ceasefire in Gaza and recognition of a Palestinian state. In rather tortured prose,
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: Collective Punishment
So, apparently the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza had some number of its staff involved in the October 7 attack on Israel. This has resulted in numerous countries halting funding of UNRWA. The best estimates I can find are that somewhere in the range of a dozen employees of
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Why must the Palestinians beg for a country in their own land?
A seemingly eccentric question, one that shouldn’t have to be asked, yet it does because that is the bizarre situation the Palestinians find themselves in. Indeed, many find themselves refugees in their own land. Their circumstances are a reflection of the disdain that supporters of Israel, particularly its chief enabler
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: 7,000 children, 60 journalists, 130 UN aid workers … enough?
On September 11th, 2001, the Islamist extremist group al-Qaeda carried out one of the most dramatic terrorist attacks in history on the United States. It knocked down two phallic symbols of U.S. capitalism and killed nearly 3,000 innocent people. The Americans could have sought out the perpetrators and brought them
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: No, Ms. Kheiriddin, You’re Quite Wrong
Over at Conservative propaganda rag “National Post”, we have Tasha Kheiriddin trying to turn the lack of attention on the civil war going on in Sudan into “why criticizing Israel’s actions is antisemitic”. First, I invite Ms. Kheiriddin to inspect the news – particularly North American sources, and consider
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: How Did You Think Gazans Would Respond?
The dispute between Israel and the Palestinian people has been in and out of the news cycle my entire life. For years, the narrative in the news has been very much around “terrorism”, with the Palestinians being broadly characterized as the perpetrators of terrorism. There is no question that in
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: A Gaza-Canadian analogy
Reading about the circumstances of the Palestinians in Gaza, I was reminded of a piece of our own history: the infamous pass system. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Indians of Western Canada signed treaties with the Canadian government yielding control over their territories. They believed they
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: About That Hospital in Gaza
There’s been a lot of discussion back and forth about the explosion at Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza. Hamas claims it was an Israeli bomb or missile attack, Israel claims it’s the result of a failed rocket launched from within Gaza. I have thoughts about this. Certainly, I agree that the site
Continue readingSong of the Watermelon: Israel’s Assault on Gaza
In the days since Hamas’s violent rampage through southern Israel, one word that keeps popping up is “unprovoked.” A Biden administration official condemned “the unprovoked attacks by Hamas terrorists against Israeli civilians,” while Mike Pence urged every American to “condemn the unprovoked and massive attack on Israel by terrorists in
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: In Case You Were Wondering
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Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: And the Trudeau Government’s Reaction Is?
A tweet. That’s how the government of Justin Trudeau responded to yesterday’s massacre of Palestinians by Israeli snipers and Justin’s bestie, Benjamin Netanyahu. Deeply concerned by violence in Gaza Strip. We are saddened by deaths + injuries that occurred today + over past weeks. It is inexcusable that civilians, journalists
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Well, That’s a Relief!
Israel has officially absolved itself of any wrongdoing in the murder of four Palestinian kids killed on a Gaza beach last summer. The kids – they were children – had a soccer ball in play when an Israeli patrol boat opened fire on them with explosive shells. Unfortunately, for the
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Shoot to Kill – Anyone, Everyone
Israeli soldiers willfully targeted civilians in last year’s war on Gaza. Testimonies provided by more than 60 Israeli soldiers who fought in last summer’s war in Gaza have raised serious questions over whether Israel’s tactics breached its obligations under international law to distinguish and protect civilians. The claims – collected
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Netanyahu’s "Dog Whistle" Might Have Fetched the Hounds
Maybe some day Benjamin Netanyahu will be known as the founder of the state of Palestine. Strange things are happening. From the Sydney Morning Herald:Already the US is hinting that it might support a United Nations Security Council resolution that recognises Palestine along pre-1967 borders. Until now it has repeatedly
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Would You Hug A Terrorist?
There is no question that here in the West, we like to treat almost as an embarrassment; we sanitize it, hide it away in hospitals and palliative care units, and conduct our lives with a kind of cognitive dissonance, believing on some level that while it happens to others, somehow
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