What if it was Halifax, not Haifa?

Calgary Herald, Canada ^ | Thursday, July 20, 2006 | Naomi Lakritz

[GMMAC]

What if it was Halifax, not Haifa?

Naomi Lakritz, Calgary Herald
Published: Thursday, July 20, 2006

Prime Minister Stephen Harper justifies his support for Israel by saying: "The current Palestinian government is not committed to a peace process."

Harper's dazzling clarity is lost on those foaming at the mouth at Israel's bombing of Lebanon.

As Joseph Ben-Ami, of the Institute for Canadian Values, says: "The responsibility for the current situation rests solely with Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists who have been bombarding Israeli towns and villages for months and who recently invaded Israel to attack and kidnap its citizens." The Arabs, not the Israelis, have derailed every peace plan.

Let's play a little word game. Let's rewrite Ben-Ami's sentence to read, "responsibility rests solely with Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists who have been bombarding Canadian towns and villages for months and who recently invaded Canada to attack and kidnap its citizens."

There is no doubt the same people filling letters to the editor pages with vitriolic diatribes against Israel would cry out for Canada to defend itself. They would not argue that those were just "rudimentary" bombs that fell on Saskatoon, so let's show some moderation here.

Change the wording in this letter to the Montreal Gazette: "Shame on (Israel) . . . it has once again provoked Hezbollah." "Shame on Canada; it has once again provoked Hezbollah." No such drivel would ever be penned.

I bet some of these same people fired off angry missives when the former Liberal government dragged its feet at declaring Hezbollah's "charitable" Canadian fundraising wing a terrorist organization. Get 'em out of our backyard. They're OK in someone else's.

Then, there's the hypocrisy over the Lebanese civilians who've died.

Their blood is all on Hezbollah's hands, of course, but let's not spoil a good anti-Semitic outburst by picking on the poor terrorists.

Let's just get mad at Harper for having the chutzpah to see the truth. Where's the outrage at the deaths of Yehudit Itzkowitz, 58, and grandson, Omer Pashov, 7, who died when a Hezbollah missile -- hundreds have been routinely fired into Israel long before the current crisis flared up -- hit their home in Moshav Meron on Friday?

Or Shmuel Ben Shimon, 41, Asael Damti, 39, Nissim Elharar, 43, David Feldman, 28, Rafi Hazan, 30, Dennis Lapidos, 24, Reuven Levy, 46 and Shlomi Mansura, 35 -- killed when the Haifa train station was hit.

Change "Haifa" to "Halifax" and the needle would be off the public outrage meter in Canada.

In the past six years, in suicide bombings and other terrorist attacks, 7,520 Israelis have been injured and 1,133 killed. I don't recall seeing too many people exercised over that.

But hey, who cares about some dead Jews? Israel should have the good sense to quietly submit to annihilation.

No doubt, many expressing their disgust at the spectacle of Jews fighting for their lives will sit in church this Sunday worshipping the Jew around whom their religion is built -- that guy named Jesus. Makes no sense to me how they can reconcile that.

nlakritz@theherald.canwest.com

© The Calgary Herald 2006

[GMMAC]

Sample Montreal Gazette letters to the Editor:

Shame enough for all
Published: Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Shame on Israel for destroying once again a country and its people. It has once again provoked Hezbollah, a militant group formed out of frustration over its reluctance to pull out of occupied territories. Shame on Hezbollah for helping Israel destroy Lebanon once again. It does not speak for all of the moderate Lebanese people, regardless of religious beliefs, nor for all of the Shiites.
Shame on U.S. President George W. Bush for his immediate comments about how Israel has a right to defend itself and on Prime Minister Stephen Harper for repeating the same comments but adding Israel's attacks are measured.
Michael Saikaley, Montreal
Source URL

Israel should pay
Published: Thursday, July 20, 2006
Re: "Canada begins biggest rescue in history" (Gazette, July 19).
I was stunned to read that all costs related to the evacuation of Canadian citizens from Lebanon will be borne by the government of Canada. After all, it was Israel that destroyed the infrastructure of Lebanon.
Isn't it only fair that Israel pick up the tab?
Dimitri Tsatoumas, Montreal
Source URL

[GMMAC]

While Naomi Lakritz makes the case well, for whatever it's worth & from my vantage point, Israel & Prime Minister Harper are already well ahead - BIG TIME ! - in the battle to win the hearts & minds of Canadians!

"Canada Stands With Israel"
PING!

[Sam Gamgee]

Maybe the 7 killed shouldn’t hang around with terrorists? My Christian Lebanese friends say that their family leaves 100 km from the killing zone – Lebanon is very segregated.

What is actually remarkable is the small number of casualties in Lebanon considering the extent of the bombing. Who knows how many of them are terrorists themselves?

At any rate, Canada is already under attack and shame on Harper for not taking action on the siege of Caledonia. Shame first belongs to the OPD and McGuinty, but the time is long over due to send the troops and crush the rebellion and lawlessness that is terrorizing the residents of Caledonia.

[Sam Gamgee]

Well, thank God we don't have to hear the sanctimonious Rick Mercer about global warming anymore!

Problem with Canada is that we overwhelmingly believe our news sources - something like 84% of us believe the news (so much for Canadians being open minded thinkers) compared to something like 52% of Americans. Tell a Canadian Global Warming is bunk and they will look at you like you just ate a kitten.

[llevrok]

What if it was Halifax, not Haifa?

They'll never take the Dingle !

[Zhangliqun]

She's wrong on one thing though -- the Canadians would blame America for it.

[BraveMan]

           
                  Haifa                                 Halifax

[Fido969]

Uh... OK, so we'll let them bomb Halifax.

But if they go touching Toronto, it would be war!

[proud_yank]

As Joseph Ben-Ami, of the Institute for Canadian Values, says: "The responsibility for the current situation rests solely with Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists who have been bombarding Israeli towns and villages for months and who recently invaded Israel to attack and kidnap its citizens." The Arabs, not the Israelis, have derailed every peace plan.

Certainly bears repeating. I think Harper is definitely handeling this the right way. Kicking the press off his plane, and taking evacuees should score him some pretty big points.

[proud_yank]

That is rather lame.

[FreedomCalls]

Yep. If the "roadmap to peace" in the Middle East calls for Israel to trade land for peace, and Israel does give up land for peace, and there follows no peace, then what?

[fanfan]

Harper's dazzling clarity is lost on those foaming at the mouth at Israel's bombing of Lebanon.

Apparently Stephen Harper's dazzling clarity is lost on a few FReepers as well.

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

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----------------------------

[fanfan]

Maybe the 7 killed shouldn't hang around with terrorists?

I wonder when these 7 had last visited Canada?

More Canadians of convenience?

[proud_yank]

Apparently Hezbollah & Hamas think that Israel's annhilation is an option. And it appears the IDF & IAF beg to differ!

[Alouette]

FRmail me to be added or removed from this Judaic/pro-Israel/Russian Jewry ping list.

Warning! This is a high-volume ping list.

[proud_yank]

Doubtful. I think that terrorism is something that people don't understand, until an attack. (Even then, its still questionable)

That was quite evident in the US.

[ChEng]

And shame on you...for not knowing right from wrong.

[livius]

Urrrp. The "Rainbow Bus" in Halifax?

However, having a bunch of queens is better and much less damaging than having a bunch of terrorists and the resulting dead bodies, so I guess Halifax is running way ahead...