ZOA Criticizes Canada’s Changing Policy & Voting for Anti-Israel UN Resolutions
News Press Release
January 23, 2020

The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has criticized the Canadian Government of Justin Trudeau for voting in favor of a series of biased and hostile anti-Israel United Nations General Assembly resolutions sponsored by various Arab states and other undemocratic, human-rights abusing regimes.

The ZOA believes that, as a matter of principle and morality, no genuinely democratic, human rights-observing country should dignify the assault of human rights abusers upon the Middle East’s only practicing democracy. The ZOA regards the willingness of Canada and other free societies to do so as indicative of a cowardly effort to ingratiate themselves with autocratic Arab and Muslim regimes, to the detriment of the truth, human rights and the elementary credibility of international organizations like the UN.

Last month, the Trudeau Government, which had previously largely maintained its predecessor’s pro-Israel voting record, abruptly reversed course and endorsed a condemnation of Israel for failing to establish a Palestinian Arab state, a regime that pays Arabs to murder Jews, a resolution Canada has consistently opposed since 2006. 

Although Canada had regularly voted against or abstained on the 16 recurrent resolutions on Palestinian Arab issues which go before the General Assembly every year, including on eastern Jerusalem, sovereignty over natural resources, and Israeli “settlements,” the Trudeau Government voted this year in favor of all these resolutions.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau originally expressed support for Israel at the UN but has also renewed funding to UNRWA that was frozen during the conservative government of Stephen Harper and, in 2018, called for a probe of Gaza violence while failing to mention Hamas’ role in the violence.

Several Canadian Jewish groups expressed outrage over Canada’s stance while, as was to be expected, the Palestinian Authority (PA)’s envoy to the UN, Riyad Mansour, welcomed Canada’s move saying, “Although it was a slow process … I am delighted … very significant, very positive.” (Elad Benari, ‘Canada again votes in favor of UN anti-Israel resolution,’ Israel National News, December, 2019.) 

ZOA National President Morton A. Klein and Chair Mark Levenson, Esq. said, “We are appalled at the craven and cynical decision of the Trudeau Government to curry favor with the PA and other regional dictatorships by supporting a collection of vicious and false anti-Israel resolutions presented annually at the UN.

“Canada had the honesty and integrity to refuse to do so in past years, both under the Harper and Trudeau governments. The collapse of that principled stance this year reflects badly on Mr. Trudeau and the government he leads.

“Unfortunately, this is but the latest of a number of disappointing actions in respects of Israel undertaken by the Trudeau Government.

“The ZOA notes that, while 33 nations attended the opening of the new U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem last year, Canada conspicuously did not and publicly opposed it. (In contrast, former Prime Minister Harper welcomed the move). 

“Last year, Canada also condemned Israeli so-called ‘excessive use of force’ in seeking to contain the mass-border violations and riots organized by the Hamas terrorist regime in Gaza.

“When a ‘Palestine Day’ was held in the Canadian parliament, Mr. Trudeau wrote a letter officially supporting ‘with great pleasure’ and offering the ‘warmest welcome’ to this piece of Palestinian Arab agitprop. And when the Trump Administration correctly cut funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Mr. Trudeau pointedly announced that his government, which decided to end the predecessor Harper Government’s cutting of funds to UNRWA, would donate up to $25 million to make up for the shortfall.

“In short, the Trudeau Government has moved steadily towards hostility to Israel and an uncritical embrace of the Palestinian Arab agenda.

“The ZOA strongly condemns the Trudeau Government and urges it to rescind its latest, unprincipled anti-Israel moves.”

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