What will Stephen Harper's position be now that Israel has begun a ground offensive into the Gaza Strip? Will he demand a pullback, or say sublimely that he "supports Israel"? Or will he just say, there's no such thing as Gaza or the West Bank -- it's all Israel; just like most televangelists do?
Let's be honest, a ground war will not stop the rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel proper. Of course, they must be responded to since they're not stopping. As well both Hamas and Egypt share the blame for not sealing up the underground tunnels between the two. But will a blockade, invasion, and imposing a collective guilt punishment and starving people to death really solve anything? This looks like it could go on for months, not just days.
Canada could be acting as a broker in this present crisis, should be doing so in fact, but the Conservatives have abandoned all pretense of neutraity on the issue of the Middle East. Their position is in a sentence: Jew good, Arab bad. It's not that simple as that -- not all Palestinians in Gaza support Hamas and its terrorist aims; they want an end to the rocket attacks as well. Not all Jews support Israel's democratic government; Kach-Kahane Chai (while banned in the country as well as by Canada, the US and the EU) is still a very dangerous force in the country and some US and Canadians evangelicals quietly support this terrorist group. A small minority amongst evangelicals (the majority of which wish for naught but peace) but it's the bully pulpit that seems to have the ear of the PMO these days.
And we in Canada are going to get the blowback from that sooner rather than later. I support the State of Israel, and I always will -- let that be made clear again if I haven't made it clear before. But it looks like for the second time in about 30 months the Promised Land is shooting itself in the foot once more. Harper needs to be both strong as well as pragmatic. But being fair doesn't come easy to a bully.
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