Canadian Jews Urge PM Trudeau to Resume Past Policy of Opposing Raft of Anti-Israel UN Resolutions
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau addressing the Economic Club in New York. Photo: Reuters/Lucas Jackson.
Top Jewish organizations in Canada have written to the country’s prime minister and foreign minister asking them to resume a two-decade long tradition of voting against an annual raft of anti-Israel United National General Assembly resolutions.
Canada had been voting against the “Question of Palestine” resolutions at the UN, all of which are dedicated to slandering and demonizing the Jewish state, since 2002. This tradition was observed by current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government until last year, when in a sudden about-face, it chose not to oppose the defamatory resolutions.
B’nai Brith Canada, the Friends of the Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) have now written to Trudeau and Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, asking for a return to the previous policy.
Michael Levitt, president and CEO of FSWC, said, “For nearly 20 years, successive Canadian governments have rejected such toxic and one-sided resolutions, declaring that they projected a distorted narrative of the conflict in the Middle East and were unhelpful in advancing peace.”
Michael Mostyn, CEO of B’nai Brith Canada, noted, “This annual exercise attacking Israel employs offensive language that does not promote peace and prejudges the outcome of negotiations.”
“Through unbalanced and prejudicial support for Palestinian self-determination, this resolution in particular denies the very same inherent right to the Jewish people,” he added. “It impairs the legitimate goals and the effectiveness of the United Nations.”
CIJA CEO Shimon Koffler Fogel pointed out, “The unity expressed in jointly writing to the Prime Minister underscores how deeply this issue resonates within Canada’s Jewish community.”
“We understand that Canada is looking for ways to reaffirm its support for a peaceful resolution that results in two states for two peoples,” he said. “However, there are far more constructive opportunities for Canada to do so, especially given that support for this resolution perpetuates the distortion and abuse of the United Nations and its agencies.”