"""...The Conservative government has positioned Canada as one of Israel’s strongest international supporters, which Mate believes is part of the reason so many Canadian writers felt compelled to sign their names to the letter. “The fact that Canadian writers are so conscious of this issue is related to the uncritical backing that this government gives to even the most egregious of Israeli policies,” he said. But Fogel said his organization is “very concerned that critics of Israel are trying exploit these serious and complex issues for political gain.” Asked about the South Hebron evictions, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird’s spokesman Rick Roth reiterated Canada’s position that unilateral actions in the occupied territories are unhelpful to the cause of peace, while he described the Prawer-Begin Law as an internal Israeli matter. Mate said those responses fall far short of what Canada should be saying, but are consistent with the Conservative government’s refusal to criticize Israeli policy on even the most flagrant human rights violations. “We have a government that supports Israel, never criticizes it, supports it 100 per cent, never tires of trumpeting its absolute solidarity with Israel,” he said. “This is the time for them to speak up, and they’re not doing so.” MacNeil admitted surprise to the number of authors and poets who agreed to affix their signatures to the letter, adding: “Canadian writers are showing more backbone than Canada’s politicians.” ..."""
Posted on: Fri, 12 Jul 2013 04:27:20 +0000
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