Strong Support for Israel From Canada
During his visit to Israel, Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird left no doubt about his government’s friendship with Israel. Repudiating anti-Israel sentiment popular in Western diplomatic circles, Baird emphasized that it is important “to stand for what is principled and just, regardless of whether it is popular, convenient or expedient.”
According to the Jerusalem Post, Baird explained,
Joining the anti-Israel sentiment would be the “easy thing to do” and it would be much simpler to just “pretend that engaging in anti- Israeli rhetoric is being somehow even-handed” … But Canada would not “go along to get along,” and would not remain silent while “the Jewish state is attacked for defending its territory or people.”
Baird’s stance mirrors the views of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who has instructed his government to stand with the Jewish state when it came under assault in the United Nations, even while other Western states equivocated.
Previous Canadian governments have not been as friendly or as outspoken in support of Israel. The strong principled stance by the current Canadian government is all the more striking because Harper’s and Baird’s Conservative Party has not traditionally been the beneficiary of Canadian Jewish political support, although that is changing.
It will be interesting to see how much coverage Baird’s statement receives in the Canadian, British or the American media that are often quick to cover criticism of Israel by senior Western officials.
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