NDP leader kowtows to Israel lobby

rabble.ca NDP leader kowtows to Israel lobby

Jagmeet Singh has time and again shown a bias against the people of Palestine.

9 comments

Fuck Israel.
- There will be people to call you an antisemite for this
  
  And they would be wrong.
  
  Nah, my money's on just downvoting. I don't think they want the clapback. (And, as always: context is everything; and we all know the context by now - this month 5)

I was surprised reading the article how much evidence was presented of Singh specifically/individually kowtowing to the Israel lobby. Nothing's ever galvanized the "Singh's got to go" sentiment in me as strongly
Amidst Israel’s slaughter in Gaza, the divide between NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and party supporters, as well as his caucus, has become glaring.
Outside a bowling hall in a Montreal on Sunday I tried to ask Singh whether he agreed with South Africa that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. He refused to answer and a member of his RCMP detail told me I didn’t have the right to “bother” the NDP leader, pushing me away and knocking my phone out of my hands.
This was in stark contrast to NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice who minutes before Singh arrived took my questions. Boulerice agreed that Canadian charities that funnel money to the Israeli military should lose their charitable status, Canadians fighting in Gaza should be investigated for war crimes and that South Africa has a strong case that Israel is committing genocide.
Boulerice’s position aligns with NDP supporters. A recent Angus Reid poll found that NDP voters were five times (68 per cent to 14 per cent) more likely to say “Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians” than “Israel is not committing genocide”.
In one of Singh’s more crass displays of anti-Palestinianism, the NDP leader refused to mention the long oppressed group when asked about resolutions submitted to the 2021 NDP convention regarding “Canada’s relationship to Israel and the Palestinian territory.” Instead of responding to the question, he mentioned “anti-Semitism” four times. Asked again by the CBC interviewer about “resolutions that in a sense condemn Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians”, Singh again failed to mention Palestine or Palestinians. Instead, he talked about “increased hate crimes also against people of the Jewish faith.” Singh’s complete erasure of Palestinians was hard to listen to and prompted a massive backlash.
- Singh calling Netanyahu's government "extremist" and "dangerous to democracy"
  NDP petition to stop selling weapons to Israel.
  NDP pushing Liberals to recognize Palestine as a state.
  Jagmeet responding to concerns that he hasn't addressed the anti-Palestinian racism
  Message from the National Council of Canadian Muslims thanking Jagmeet Singh for his efforts to help Palestinians:
  Thank you Jagmeet Singh for taking a major step forward by with the NDP’s position on Israel and Palestine. Thank you for your consistent condemnation on illegal settlements, demolitions and plans of annexation, for demanding justice for slain journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, supporting the jurisdiction of the ICC, and for supporting Palestinian human rights groups. Now is the time for the rest of our leaders to step up, and heed the calls of the international community, by demanding justice for Palestine.
  How about you do some research next time before you go around being a reactionary.
  
  To quote one of the links you shared: [Please] Do not condescend me sir.
  I don't think you've presented a very compelling case. Of the 5 links: 1 is an NDP petition sign-up page, 1 is a send-a-letter to a political leader, 1 is the NDP tabling a motion in the HoC during which Singh was absent, 1 was a Singh press conference on other topics where he was asked about Palestine and he just admitted that anti-Palestinian racism existed, and 1 was a Singh press conference about other topics back in November where he expressed some focal criticism of the Netanyahu government.
  I fail to see much evidence that Singh has a significant role in the NDP's relatively greater criticism of Israel and its ongoing slaughter in Palestine compared to the LPC and CPC. To me, the resources you shared lightly support my sense that Singh is "at arm's length" from his party's politics on that issue.
  Whether that's strategic - so that he and the NDP can collectively appeal to as many voters as possible - or whether he personally has been "affected by Israel lobbying"; we'll likely never know

9 comments