IJV endorsement
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- Published on Wednesday, 05 March 2014 11:20
- Written by editor
Jewish group endorses Israeli Apartheid Week, rejects politicians’ baseless allegations of anti-Semitism OTTAWA – Independent Jewish Voices – Canada (IJV), a national Jewish human rights organization, is proud to endorse the tenth annual Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) and rejects any claims that the initiative is anti-Semitic. IAW organizers have always been committed to providing a safe, respectful and anti-racist environment in which to discuss the controversial subject of Israel's relationship with Palestinians. This is an environment in which anti-Semitism is outright condemned, despite allegations from Canadian politicians that applying the term Apartheid to Israel is in itself anti-Semitic. "It has been argued by international experts — and even by many leading Israeli and Jewish academics,... politicians and human rights leaders — that Israel is guilty of the crime of Apartheid against the indigenous Palestinians," says IJV spokesperson Tyler Levitan. "What term would critics of IAW use to describe Israel's laws and policies that subjugate Palestinians through a system of colonization, land and resource theft, arbitrary arrests, extra-judicial killings, and Jewish-only privileges?” In Prime Minister Harper’s speech to the Israeli parliament in January, he called the labelling of Israel as an Apartheid state the “new anti-Semitism.” In a CBC discussion following Harper’s speech, this accusation was echoed by NDP Foreign Affairs critic Paul Dewar and Liberal Foreign Affairs critic Marc Garneau.
"To characterize criticism of Israeli government policies as anti-Semitic — regardless of how uncomfortable it may be for supporters of Israel to hear — is defamatory and creates a chilling effect on free speech in this country," says Levitan. "Palestinians and their supporters in Canada should not be made to feel intimidated by politicians from the major federal political parties. Freedom to speak one’s mind, especially in support of universal human rights, should be welcomed in this country, not silenced.”
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CAIA Active Members Committee
