By Michael Regenstreif
You’re reading this column about a week or 10 days after I sat down to write it on Friday morning, February 26.
As I write, we’re three days away from the start of Israel Apartheid Week (IAW) events aimed at delegitimizing the State of Israel on campuses – including Carleton and the University of Ottawa – in about 40 cities in Canada, the United States and western Europe. Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal campuses are among those in which IAW events have the highest profile.
The events will take place just as this issue of the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin is being printed, mailed and delivered. So, I’m writing without knowing how IAW unfolded. Or, for that matter, how Size Doesn’t Matter turned out. Size Doesn’t Matter was a concurrent campaign carried out by pro-Israel student groups aimed at countering the demonization of the Jewish state, at showing the totality of what Israel is all about: from its roles as a cultural, scientific and high-tech giant despite the tiny size of its territory and population, to its being a centre of human rights and liberal democracy in the Middle East.
I wrote about IAW last issue in this space and don’t need to devote much space to reiterating what I said then about the motives of IAW organizers and supporters and about why the word ‘apartheid’ is false, offensive and counterproductive to efforts aimed at achieving a just peace and a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians. I would, though, like to call your attention to a couple of things.
On February 25, the Ontario Legislature unanimously passed a resolution condemning IAW, which was introduced by Peter Shurman, the Progressive Conservative MPP for Thornhill, the Toronto-area riding with Ontario’s largest Jewish population.
In the debate, Liberal and NDP MPPs rose to support the resolution, which stated that, “in the opinion of this House, the term ‘Israeli Apartheid Week’ is condemned as it serves to incite hatred against Israel, a democratic state that respects the rule of law and human rights, and the use of the word ‘apartheid’ in this context diminishes the suffering of those who were victims of a true apartheid regime in South Africa.”
Although the resolution was introduced by the MPP of a riding with a huge Jewish population, there is only a small handful of ridings in the province with substantial Jewish populations. So, with MPPs from all of the parties coming together in a rare showing of unanimity, it means a lot.
Let’s be clear.
The resolution is not, as some IAW supporters have claimed, an attempt to stifle either free speech or debate about Israel and the Palestinians. It simply recognizes and condemns the use of terminology meant solely to demonize Israel, to incite hatred against the country and to intimidate Israel’s supporters.
Ontario’s MPPs – from across the political spectrum and from all parties in the legislature – are to be congratulated for their leadership on this issue and for taking an unequivocal stand in support of democracy and human rights and against the incitement to hatred that is IAW.
Also, on February 25, Leonard Stern, the editorial pages editor of the Ottawa Citizen, published an excellent column he wrote about IAW. It was well worth reading.
My office is on the Jewish Community Campus and many of my daily interactions are with other Jewish community professionals, lay leaders and, of course, Bulletin readers.
I also pay close attention to the mainstream, alternative and specialized media and their coverage of issues of concern to our community.
IAW has been a major topic of concern for many people I’ve talked with over the past few weeks. But, a couple of conversations with (non-Jewish) Ottawa community leaders about IAW that I’ve been part of the past couple of days are making me wonder if the general population is paying any attention to IAW.
The conversations I’m talking about were with well-established, well-informed people who are highly active in public affairs in Ottawa and both were almost completely unaware of IAW.
Maybe, IAW is just about people on a certain fringe talking to other like-minded folks on the same fringe.
Maybe, IAW is justly falling on the deaf ears it deserves.
People who truly care about peace and justice for both Israelis and Palestinians recognize IAW for what it is.
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