[antiwar-van] Zionists target supporters of StopWar.ca

[hanna kawas]

The local Zionists are waging a campaign against the peace movement for
opposing the war on Iraq and supporting Palestinian rights.
Following is an editorial from the main Zionist paper attacking Vancouver
and Burnaby city councils for opposing war and supporting StopWar.ca, under
the pretext that it is not within their mandate to do so.
When the Vancouver city council in the past, passed resolutions in support
of Israel, we did not hear them talk about "a mandate for these foreign
policy interventions".
What hypocrites.
Hanna


http://www.jewishbulletin.ca/archives/Mar03/archives03Mar21-08.html

Jewish Western Bulletin
March 21, 2003

The city's foreign policy
Editorial

The world spirals in a tumult of impending explosion as the globe's sole
remaining military superpower takes aim at a dictatorial tyrant in a battle
that has come to represent the force of one civilization against another.
America and Iraq hurtle into desperate conflagration, bringing the fate of
their respective citizenries – and all the rest of us – with them into the
unknown.

Thankfully, calmer heads prevail. In a richly wood-panelled, windowless room
in an art deco building on a hill at 12th and Cambie, in the far-off city of
Vancouver, comes the message of hope for which the world has been waiting.
Vancouver city council has passed a resolution calling for no war with Iraq.

A collective sigh of relief is heard around the world or at least, around
the council table. Since the Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE) came
to power in a landslide election last fall, this city has seen international
affairs return to the city council agenda.

Of course, our own city council is not alone in taking this stand. The City
of Burnaby has joined Vancouver in endorsing the Web site StopWar.ca,
dedicated to keeping George W. out of Saddam's backyard.

But why is it a municipal council's business? How many people voted for
their council representative based on his or her opinions about pre-emptive
first strikes, nuclear disarmament or Iraqi track records? Isn't that why we
vote in federal elections? Don't we take foreign affairs into account when
we vote for our member of Parliament?

City councillors cannot possibly claim that they have a mandate for these
foreign policy interventions; hardly a word was uttered about foreign
affairs during what was a particularly verbose election campaign last year.

We all wish for peace. However, while generalized wishes for peace and
harmony are charming, they are very often naive in the context of a complex
world environment.

Meanwhile, Vancouver has its own battles to fight. Vancouverites want our
councillors to battle homelessness, find solutions to drug problems, offer
recreation for children, seek justice for the lost women of the Downtown
Eastside and provide clean water, safe streets and garbage pick-up. These
are the battles city council was elected to fight.

If a city councillor wants to speak up on his or her own behalf, fine. Their
constituents can support them or admonish them and boot them out of office
next time. But the entire city council speaking on behalf of all
Vancouverites in regards to the anti-war campaign? Shame.