Canadians recognize what their leaders won’t: Israel practices apartheid

A recent public opinion survey demonstrates that many Canadians accept what most politicians deny: Israel is an apartheid state. EKOS survey results published this week by my organization, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, show that many Canadians have an extremely dim view of Israeli democracy. Of all the respondents who participated in the survey, most—27 per cent—agreed with the view that Israel is “a state with segregation similar to apartheid,” while only eight per cent view Israel as a “vibrant democracy.” When you exclude those who responded “I don’t know,” the numbers are even more damning. Thirty-eight per cent of Canadians consider Israel an apartheid state—more than three times the number (11 per cent) who consider Israel a vibrant democracy. Of the remainder, 20 per cent consider Israel a “state with restricted minority rights,” and 31 per cent consider it a “flawed democracy.” For anyone bothering to look closely at what Israel is doing to Palestinians, these numbers should not be a surprise. Israel has built a wall in the West Bank which transects Palestinian communities, impoverishing and isolating them. Millions of Palestinians under Israeli government control have no vote in Israeli elections. And Israel imposes laws and practices that ensure Palestinian citizens of Israel receive fewer government services and benefits. Amnesty International released a report last year which exhaustively examined Israeli policies toward Palestinians over decades. Amnesty summarized its findings saying, “Amnesty International’s investigation shows that Israel imposes a system of oppression and domination against Palestinians across all areas under its control: in Israel and the , and against Palestinian refugees, in order to benefit Jewish Israelis. This amounts to apartheid as prohibited in international law.” When Amnesty issued its report in 2022, it joined a growing consensus in the international human rights community about the apartheid nature of Israel’s human rights abuses. Shamefully, while a huge number of average Canadians can interpret the signs, our politicians are in denial. Earlier this year, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau talked about a “shared commitment to democratic values” between Israel and Canada. And Liberal and Conservative MPs are repeatedly heard describing Israel in Parliament as a “vibrant democracy.” Trudeau’s government glibly dismissed Amnesty’s report, saying it "rejects the view that Israel’s actions constitute apartheid.” When challenged by NDP MP Heather McPherson, her party's foreign affairs critic, during a parliamentary committee session, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly was unable to provide any reason for the wholesale dismissal of the report. Politicians ignore these findings at their own risk. Of the 18-to-34-year-olds who have an opinion, close to half (48 per cent) would apply the apartheid label to Israel. A significant majority (64 per cent) of NDP supporters would do the same, as well as 53 per cent of Bloc Québécois supporters, and 33 per cent of Liberals. The Civics Academy outlines several elements—apart from simply holding elections—which are necessary for a society to be considered democratic: respect for human rights; political tolerance; and respect for the rule of law, among others. Israel regularly violates such precepts. The human rights of both Palestinian citizens of Israel, as well as Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, are violated on a daily basis. Palestinian political parties and their elected representatives in Israel face ongoing risk of being outlawed and excluded. Even apart from Israel’s decades of contempt for international law, the state’s right-wing communities enjoy ongoing immunity as they violate Israeli laws to establish "outposts" on Palestinian land and brandish guns at Palestinian civilians. Whatever one may think of former prime minister Brian Mulroney, he got it right in the 1980s when it came to South African apartheid. While the U.K.’s Margaret Thatcher and the U.S.’s Ronald Reagan opposed sanctions on apartheid South Africa, Mulroney’s Canada helped lead the international community to implement key new sanctions against South Africa. Alas, 40 years later, Canada’s political leaders have none of the anti-apartheid mettle of Mulroney as they steadfastly ignore Israel’s ongoing oppression of Palestinians. But with the latest polling results, it’s now clear that they do so at their own peril. Thomas Woodley is the co-founder of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, where he has held the role of president since 2008. He lives in Montreal. The Hill Times

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Canadians recognize what their leaders won’t: Israel practices apartheid

New polling shows that Canada's political leaders ignore Israel's ongoing oppression of Palestinians at their own peril.

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