[tadamon-l] [Canada] Appeal to Oppose Peter Mackay’s Visit to the Middle East!

[tadamon at resist.ca]

Appeal to Oppose Peter Mackay’s Visit to the Middle East!
Tadamon! Montreal.

http://tadamon.resist.ca/index.php/?p=421

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister, Peter Mackay, who recently traveled to
Afghanistan, is planning a larger visit to the Middle East region, with
the stated aim of promoting "peace and dialogue". The Conservative Foreign
Minister MacKay will arrive in Lebanon and Palestine in the coming days.

Tadamon! Montreal issues this appeal in an effort to highlight the
Conservative Government’s role and position as an imperialist player in
the Middle East.

Canadian intervention in the region is best illustrated by the
Conservative government’s open support for Israel in the midst of the 2006
brutal assault on Lebanon and Canada’s ongoing military presence in
Afghanistan.

Despite common mythology, Canadian policy has seldom been "balanced" or
"neutral" concerning the Middle East. Successive Canadian governments have
unconditionally supported Israel. History doesn’t substantiate Canada’s
suppose role as the "neutral one".

Canada’s position must be tackled within the context of broader Western
intervention. The Canadian government openly supports the ongoing
occupation of Iraq, despite world opinion having turned against U.S.
policy. Canada was the 1st country in the world to withdraw all financial
aid to the Palestinian people after the democratic election of Hamas in
the Occupied Territories, sending millions of Palestinians into
devastating poverty.

Within the context of Canadian political policy in the region, Tadamon!
calls on people in Montreal, Canada and in the Middle East to express
their opposition to Canadian intervention in the Middle East.


* Canada Supported the 206 Israeli Attack on Lebanon:

Canada cannot claim to promote "peace" and "dialogue" in the Middle East
after supporting the recent Israeli attack on Lebanon, which resulted in
the death of over 1300 people, the displacement of 1 million and the
massive destruction of Lebanon’s national infrastructure.

In light of the devastation unleashed upon Lebanon, the Conservative
government of Canada declared that, "the response of Israel, within the
circumstance, is measured."

As Israel destroyed Lebanon, Canada refused to call for an immediate and
unconditional ceasefire, projecting their diplomatic support for the
Israeli attack under the pretext that "a ceasefire and return to the
status quo would constitute a victory for Hezbollah."

Amnesty International has published detailed accounts on multiple Israeli
violations of international humanitarian law in Lebanon by "leading
disproportionate attacks" and committing "war crimes" in the country.
Canada Chooses to not Condemn Israeli War Crimes in Lebanon:

Not only did Canada fail to condemn the massacres of civilians in Lebanon
and Palestine, the government failed to hold Israel responsible for the
death of its own citizens. Let us not forget that 11 members of the
Al-Akhras family of Montreal, 4 of them children, lost their lives when
their home in southern Lebanon was bombed by Israel on July 16th, 2006.

The Canadian government offered "condolences" to the Al-Akhras family, but
until today have not condemned the bombing, nor have they called for an
international investigation.

Israel’s use of millions of cluster bombs on civilian areas in Lebanon as
well as the repeated violations of the ceasefire has been condemned by the
United Nations.

* Canada Considers the Lebanese Resistance Terrorist:

Political intervention in Lebanon by the Conservative government of Canada
is divisive to internal Lebanese politics as long as it considers the
Lebanese resistance "terrorist".

To best illustrate the current Canadian government position toward
Lebanon, Tadamon! has compiled quotations from Canadian Foreign Minister
Peter MacKay listed below...

"So for me it's not a difficult choice between siding with a state, a
democratically elected government, a democracy that's being attacked by
terrorists, and a group of cold-blooded killers."

"Lebanon is being held hostage by Hezbollah. There can be no doubt about
that. Hezbollah is a cancer on Lebanon, which is destroying stability and
democracy within its boundaries."

"...Hezbollah is deliberately putting innocent civilians in harm's way, as
a base from which they launch their rockets."

"The Lebanese people should not be held hostage to the extremist actions
of an organization designated by the United Nations as a terrorist group.
Hezbollah and its supporters should respect the desire of ordinary
Lebanese to lead normal, secure lives."

Canadian Foreign Minister Peter Mackay, who will be visiting Lebanon in
the coming days, has systematically accused Hezbollah of using civilians
as "human shields" without any proof. This claim has been refuted by
numerous international observers and the Lebanese government.

Tadamon! also draws attention to the fact that there is no U.N. resolution
which qualifies Hezbollah as a "terrorist organization", despite Peter
MacKay’s claims.

The Foreign Minister’s statements are clear proof of a will to misinform
the people of Canada regarding the political realities of the region. The
Canadian government’s effort to demonize Hezbollah ignores the history of
Israeli aggression, while undermining the humanity of
hundreds-of-thousands of people in Lebanon who support the national
resistance.

Tadamon! also draws attention to the recent statements made by Prime
Minister Stephen Harper on the Middle East, "we are not going to sit down
with people [Hamas and Hezbollah] whose objectives are ultimately
genocidal."

Prime Minister Harper’s use of the term genocidal is unfounded and
extremely irresponsible. Harper’s erroneous claim is misinformation and
defamation directed toward the majority of the population of both
Palestine and Lebanon.

Despite political opinion on the current situation in Lebanon, to claim
that the Lebanese people are hostage of Hezbollah is foolish, while
criminalizing of all those who supported and voted for Hezbollah, which is
recognized by the Lebanese Government as a resistance movement as well as
a political party, represented by members of Parliament.

Peter MacKay plans to visit Lebanon within the context of major
demonstrations that continue to clog central Beirut. Since December 1st
2006, hundreds-of-thousands of people have been participating in a popular
sit-in called by the Lebanese opposition, including Hezbollah, which is
calling for democratic change in Lebanon.

Tadamon! Montreal opposes the Canadian government’s intervention within
the internal affairs of Lebanon, through openly supporting the current
government of Lebanon, headed by Fouad Siniora. Canada’s intervention
ignores the popular political demands expressed by a large part of the
Lebanese population and major political forces within the country who are
demonstrating on the streets today.


* Canada Supports the “War on Terror” in the Middle East:

Current Canadian intervention in the Middle East inherently supports the
war waged against the people of Lebanon and the region.

Canada actively participated in the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan and it is
currently planning on deploying additional troops, while the situation of
the Afghan people continues to worsen.

Canada supports the U.S. lead war on Iraq which has resulted in the death
of an estimated 600 000 people, while destabilized the entire region and
while devastating the entire country.

Canada overtly applauded the Israeli attack on Lebanon, continuing on a
long tradition of politically supporting apartheid policies of the Israel.
Until today Canada has not condemned the apartheid wall, the military
occupation or the crimes committed in recent months in Occupied Palestine.

Former Prime Minister, Paul Martin has stated that "Israel’s values are
Canada’s values". If former P.M. Martin was referring to the colonial
nature of the Canadian state and successive national policy of genocide
against the indigenous people of the land, then in fact Canada’s values
are Israel’s values.

Tadamon! finds it at best ironic, or at worse criminal, that political
officials in Ottawa claim to promote "peace" in the region through
"dialogue", while their Manichean vision of foreign policy is best
highlighted by their continued support for the military, political and
economic repression of indigenous struggles for emancipation in the Middle
East.

Tadamon! Montreal
http://tadamon.resist.ca / tadamon[at]resist.ca

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Tadamon! (Solidarity!, in Arabic) is a Montreal-based collective of
social-justice organizers & media activists, working to build
relationships of solidarity with grassroots political movements for social
and economic justice between Beirut & Montreal.

In the context of historic political changes taking place in Lebanon,
Tadamon!, through its political work, aims to support struggles for social
justice and human rights of ALL people living in Lebanon, through direct
coordination and organization between activists in Beirut & Montreal.

In Montreal, Tadamon! aims to organize within the Lebanese Diaspora,
through popular education, cultural work and political action, which
address struggles facing the Lebanese community, such as immigration,
racism, poverty and labour rights.

Through organizing work both locally and internationally, Tadamon! aligns
itself with social justice movements in Lebanon, Canada and
internationally which are anti-capitalist & anti-authoritarian in nature.