Shai Atanelov

On January 24, 2016, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Stéphane Dion, called for restraint in Israel and the West Bank by stating the following:

“Canada is concerned by the continued violence in Israel and the West Bank. ‎The violence has persisted for over 100 days. Canada believes strongly in a two-state solution and that negotiations provide the only viable path to peace. As a steadfast ally and friend to Israel, Canada calls for all efforts to be made to reduce violence and incitement and to help build the conditions for a return to the negotiating table. Unilateral actions, such as Palestinian initiatives toward statehood in international forums and continued Israeli settlements, are unhelpful and constitute serious obstacles to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace.”

This statement shows the stance of Canada’s new liberal government and clearly shows they lack an understanding of the reality on the grounds in Israel. The claim that Israeli settlements are an obstacle to peace is absurd. Israel pulling out of Gaza proved the exact opposite. It only achieved more rockets flying into Israel.

The only good in Minister Dion’s statement is that he did not go as far as Ban Ki-Moon who expressed sympathy for Palestinian terrorism during a UN Security Council session. Though the UN Secretary General condemned Palestinian terror attacks, he nevertheless stated the following:

“Security measures alone will not stop the violence. They cannot address the profound sense of alienation and despair driving some Palestinians – especially young people. Progress towards peace requires a freeze of Israel’s settlement enterprise. Continued settlement activities are an affront to the Palestinian people and to the international community. They rightly raise fundamental questions about Israel’s commitment to a two-state solution. As oppressed peoples have demonstrated throughout the ages, it is human nature to react to occupation, which often serves as a potent incubator of hate and extremism.”

So Moon is condemning, yet justifying, the terror attacks on Jews. One can only wonder how Moon would explain the reasoning behind the terror attacks in Paris and California. Were the terrorists there also an oppressed people?

The Palestinian violence is not about settlements or land

The violence on the Arab side is the result of incitement against Jews in general. The incitement is found on PA television and the Hamas charter, as well as influence from Islamic extremist groups such as ISIS. The violence has nothing to do with land in Israel. It has everything to do with Jihad and the thirst for Jewish blood. Most of the recent knife and shooting attacks at Jews were the result of young Arabs being exposed to PA incitement to kill Jews. Israel is trying to expose the Arab incitement to the world, but it seems the new Canada government prefers to blame Israeli settlements on inciting violence. Are we to assume the recent terrorist attacks in Paris and California were also about land? Of course not. It all stems from the same Muslim extremism ideology and Jihad. The Palestinian Authority just uses the “settlement” and “land” card so it can continue receiving international funds and aid while not being labeled a terrorist organization like Hamas.

On the other hand, the IDF, security personnel and civilians that injure or kill an attacking terrorist are doing so out of self defense; not out of hatred or incitement to murder innocent civilians. Even the Israeli military’s name is all about defense: Israeli Defense Forces.

Palestinians are oppressed and under occupation; But not by Israel

If Ban Ki-Moon wants to discuss the occupation that Palestinians are suffering from, then he should point fingers at their leadership, not at Israel. Hamas in Gaza and the PLO in the West Bank, are responsible for the suffering of their people. Simply put, they could stop inciting violence against Israel, make peace and enjoy from the fruits of prosperity that Israel has to offer. But instead, Hamas erects training camps brainwashing children to become martyrs in the name of Jihad, uses international aid and equipment to build terror tunnels into Israel instead of buildings for civilians and both Hamas and the PLO preach the annihilation of the Jewish people. However, even Hamas officials admit that Gaza is not occupied by Israel ever since Israel pulled out of Gaza in 2005.

There is a clear double standard when it comes to the international community blaming Israel for the troubles in the Middle East. Anyone with some common sense can pinpoint the root cause of the Middle East crisis in general and the Palestinian hostilities in particular.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu condemned Ban Ki-Moon’s remarks today:

“The UN Secretary-General’s words give encouragement to terror. There is no justification for terror. The Palestinian murderers don’t want to build a state – they want to destroy a state (Israel), and they say it out loud. They want to murder Jews wherever they are, and they say it out loud. They don’t murder for the sake of peace and they don’t murder for the sake of human rights. The UN long ago lost its neutrality and its moral authority, and these words of the Secretary General don’t make the situation any better.”