As ICC initiates investigation of Israeli apartheid, Canadian support clashes with governmental inaction
Jean-Claude Duvalier’s son Nicolas with President Jovenel Moïse.
Written by: Jason Unruhe
According to a survey of Canadians, a majority support the idea of Israel being taken to the International Criminal Court for their crimes against Palestinians. The survey was done in 2020, but it shows how disconnected the Canadian government is from the people's human rights in the Middle East.
The study showed:
“A strong majority of Canadians want the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate alleged war crimes wherever they occur, including in Israel. 84% of Canadians agreed that the ICC should investigate alleged war crimes committed by Israeli officials, while 95% of Canadians support an investigation of alleged war crimes wherever they may occur.”
It also showed:
86% of Canadians disagreed with the statement that Canada should overlook Israel's alleged human rights violations since it is an ally.
83% of Canadians disagreed with the statement that Canada should overlook Israel's alleged human rights violations since it is a partner in the fight against terrorism.
85% of Canadians disagreed with the statement that Canada should overlook Israel's alleged human rights violations since many consider it to have shared values with Canada.
87% of Canadians disagreed with the statement that Canada should overlook Israel's alleged human rights violations even if it passes laws that discriminate against minority groups.
75% of Canadians disagreed with the statement that Canada should overlook Israel's alleged human rights violations if Israel is under threat.
This stands in stark contrast to the unending crimes against humanity Israel is guilty of. The Canadian government has always been complicit in these crimes via inaction, often refusing to acknowledge them.
Israel is based on the premise of superiority to Palestinians. A kind of “Israeli exceptionalism” that perfectly matches American Exceptionalism. Both have been the leading justification for genocide against an indigenous population by a white settler-colonial society. The crimes are too similar to ignore. The mentalities are too similar to ignore.
When confronted with the reality of the Israeli mindset, Zionists resort to accusations of anti-Semitism to silence righteous outrage against their crimes. We also see this in criticism of Americana and Canadian crimes against indigenous. Pointing out the genocides earns you accusations of being unpatriotic and disloyal.
It seems that this settler-colonial reality of Israel doesn’t sit well with a majority of Canadians. Most do seem to want some justice. Much information can be gleaned from the poll. For instance: those who identify with the Conservative Party are far more likely to justify the genocide of Palestinians. While liberals are far more likely to be critical, the Liberal Party stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the Conservatives when it comes to pandering to the criminal Israeli regime.
We don’t just diverge with the Americans on this particular issue: Also, according to the study:
“The survey also found that four out of five Canadians (82%) want Canada to maintain its current policy on Jerusalem and continue to call for the city to be shared, compared to only one fifth (18%) who said that Canada should recognize Jerusalem exclusively as Israel’s capital. Even among supporters of the Conservative Party, whose new leader has been a proponent of moving the embassy to Jerusalem, a majority (54%) support maintaining Canada’s current policy instead.”
Despite this, we should not think too highly of ourselves. Already it has been determined by other polls that Canadians are not so justice-minded when it comes to the lives of First Nations people in Canada. A 2019 survey found that most Canadians weren’t supportive of policies that seek to improve the lives of indigenous Nations. In this regard, we should see much of the American flaw in ourselves.
Often, we see ourselves as better than the US on many human rights issues. However, we should not be so smug. Aside from the issue of Indigenous Nations, the Canadian government has been a long-standing ally of Saudi Arabia, one of the greatest human rights abusers today. As we speak, they are carrying out a genocide in Yemen for the purpose of gaining control of it. We sold weapons to this criminal regime via our progressive-flavored Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau.
Canadian mining companies are known worldwide for their criminal activities against all manner of people, including indigenous peoples. Canadian companies are now being sued for modern slavery. Around a thousand Eritreans say they were forced at gunpoint into forced labour for the Nevsun’s Bisha gold, copper and zinc mine in the east African nation between 2008 and 2012.
If Canada wants to be the proud beacon of human rights in the world, then we should start acting like it. A good place to start would be holding our politicians accountable for the crimes they are complicit in. The government is not following the will of the people on the issue of Israel. That shows us what kind of a so-called democracy we are.
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