HANNAFORD: If Trudeau is ready to abandon Israel, it's one more reason for Canada to abandon Trudeau

Is the prime minister wilfully misinformed, or does he have the same (lack of) appreciation for middle eastern politics that he claims for monetary policy in Canada?During a year-end interview with the CBC’s Rosemary Barton, Prime Minister Trudeau said a number of things which seem ill-considered. In particular, he said that "the short-term actions being taken by Israel are actually putting at risk the long-term safety and even support for a Jewish state into the future."Canada's old support for Israel at risk? Seriously?Yet, he told Barton Canada’s support for Israel has not changed. All that had changed was “how we’ve articulated our position.”He may believe that, of course. There are many things that our prime minister believes with passionate intensity, that just ain’t so.However, the facts are that Canada has supported Israel diplomatically without fail for decades, sometimes at some reputational risk. On one occasion in 2006, then-Prime Minister Harper even spectacularly vetoed a lop-sided anti-Israel resolution at that year’s meeting of la francophonie. That was controversial for years.Then last week, the Trudeau Liberals took an opposite tack and voted at the UN in favour of a ceasefire in Gaza. In full context, what they were voting for was to cede a military advantage to Hamas; the terrorist entity would have used any ceasefire to rest and regroup.Israel was never going to do that, of course. But it was enough of a prime ministerial vote of confidence in the integrity of the terrorists, that Hamas leader Dr. Ghazi Hamad thanked Trudeau anyway.To propose Israel should offer Hamas a military advantage is not — not — another way of saying 'we stand with Israel.' Is it?And now, the prime minister warns that Israel’s war with Hamas "puts at risk support for a Jewish state into the future.”That is certainly a re-articulation of something, but not of Canadian support for Israel.Trudeau also told Barton that a) Canada still supports a two-state solution, but that b) Hamas should not be part of any negotiations towards that end.Herein lies stupidity. Did none of the policy experts in the Privy Council Office mention to the prime minister that Hamas, having come this far, is never going to lay down its arms and let somebody else speak for them? These are the people who jumped the fence on October 7th and started killing people, raping women and beheading babies. It is foolishness to suppose that thugs and terrorists whose whole purpose is the achievement of power, would politely stand back and let somebody else ‘take it from here.'And nobody in PCO would have told the PM either, that “working towards a sustainable ceasefire requires the conditions of Hamas laying down its arms, releasing all hostages, [ending the use of] human shields and understanding there is no role for Hamas in the future governance of Gaza.”Why? Because the people who do policy for a living know that it’s ludicrous.A well-briefed prime minister would also have been advised that he may support a two-state solution, if he wishes.But if Hamas does not, that idea is going nowhere. Reality check: Hamas does not merely ‘not support’ a two-state solution, it calls for the complete and utter destruction of the state of Israel and the killing of Jews generally, as a public good. So was he not well-briefed?Prime Minister Trudeau can be as well-briefed as he wishes to be. But he chooses to say things that fail the test of common sense, goodwill and certainly of support for Israel.Why? The most likely explanation for the prime minister’s comments are that in Canada, there are now substantially more Muslims (1,775,000) than Jews (337,000.) This, by the way, is not to suggest that those Muslims who abandoned their homelands to move to Canada hate Israel as much as Hamas does, or even that they hate Israel at all. Most, I suspect, were glad to leave ancient conflicts behind and are as appalled at the violent pro-Hamas demonstrations now taking place here, as the rest of us.Still, the prime minister must know that this immigration trend is accelerating onhis watch, not diminishing. Statistics Canada figures show that more than 60% of new immigrants are coming from Asia, including the Middle East, and a further 18% from India.As the prime minister seldom acts upon principle, this is probably all the information one needs to explain his 're-articulation' of this country's position on Israel.The fact that Israel is the offended party here, 1,200 of whose citizens were horribly slaughtered on October 7th, apparently means nothing to him. What a despicable policy position.

HANNAFORD: If Trudeau is ready to abandon Israel, it's one more reason for Canada to abandon Trudeau

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