Israel's interference with Canada-Palestine diplomacy is an act of aggression
No state has the authority to block two other states from having relations.
Israel is fucking with Canada again.
Back in May, I wrote about how Israel intentionally shot bullets toward Canadian diplomats in the West Bank, and how Mark Carney Liberals responded not with anger, but by marching in full support of the State of Israel immediately following their attempt to kill our own people.
Canada did sanction two members of Netanyahu's cabinet in June, which is good, but it is far too late and far too little, considering we have not imposed any economic sanctions or arms embargo on Israel, continuing to sell them the weapons they use to oppress and slaughter their neighbours in Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria.
There are some members of the Liberal caucus, however, who oppose the Zionist contingent of their party and support Palestine, even if they’re far quieter than we need them to be. Five of those pro-Palestine Liberal MPs recently joined NDP MP Jenny Kwan on a trip with Canadian NGOs to visit Jordan and the West Bank, and while Jordan accepted their diplomatic passports without issue, Israel pitched a violent fit.
Something that many casual observers do not realize is that Palestine does not control their border with Jordan; under the Oslo Accords, Israel has implemented a military buffer zone which allows them to fully control all entry and exit from the West Bank, regardless of whether you enter from Israel or from Jordan.
Nonetheless, Al Jazeera confirms that these six MPs and the fellow delegates did obtain electronic travel authorizations from Israel, which proves the Israeli claims to Canadian media that the visit was “without prior coordination” blatantly false.
Regardless, Israeli soldiers with COGAT held the group for several hours at the border, and denied them entry to Palestine, claiming in the paperwork that their presence would risk public safety and security. When one of the delegates was ganged up on by several Israeli soldiers, Liberal MP Iqra Khalid approached to investigate, and then was assaulted by one of the soldiers, throwing her into the wall.
When she told him not to touch her, he responded “I will touch you as much as I want”, and then a second Israeli soldier joined in this assault on MP Khalid, grabbing her further. This is an outrageous abuse of power, and yet I can guarantee it is common practice for these thugs.
Indeed, if this is the way in which they feel comfortable treating foreign politicians, what do you think Officer “Touch You As Much As I Want” does to Palestinian women and girls? In what culture other than rape culture can a man grab a woman and tell her the words “I will touch you as much as I want”?
Liberal MP Fares Al Soud, who was also on the trip and is currently the only Palestinian sitting in either chamber of the Parliament of Canada, made the problem with Israel’s actions here very clear to the Toronto Star:
We were seeking to enter the West Bank, which is part of the State of Palestine. We were not seeking to enter the State of Israel.
Canada and Palestine recognize each other as states. The West Bank does not belong to Israel, no matter how much military force they use to occupy it. Canada and Palestine have the full and inabrogable right as states to engage in relations with each other. Israel, on the other hand, has no right as a third party to interfere with our relationship.
And while this technically does not qualify as an act of war against Canada, it most certainly qualifies as an act of aggression. It is not for Israel to decide whether Canadian MPs can visit other Middle Eastern states. They are not kings, they are not an empire, and they will not stop Canada or Canadians from engaging with Palestine.
But if Foreign Minister Anita Anand could treat the assault of her fellow caucus member by the Israeli military with a little more seriousness than mildly expressing “objections” in a tweet?
That would probably be helpful.
Israel can do this as long as the USA backs them unconditionally
Israel can do this impunity. It won't impair financial support from Canada's Zionist population, and Carney has demonstrated that he isn't prepared to take a stand on Israeli genocide. The Palestinian nation thing is simply cost-free virtue-signalling.