THOMSON: What made the NDP turn against the Jews?

Yesterday, parliamentarians debated a highly contentious NDP motion pertaining to the Israel-Palestine conflict. The (non-binding) motion passed with a vote of 204 to 117, but only after significant, last-minute amendments were made by the Liberals. Despite the revisions, the motion remains so anti-Israel, it’s practically pro-Hamas.As a result, the question it raises is worrying. Have Islamists, and pro-Palestinian organizations, gained such a dangerous level of influence in the NDP that they are now able to manipulate Canadian foreign policy?I have three solid reasons for asking that question.The first is that if Bill C-63, the Online Harms Act, ever receives Royal Assent, you can bet that trying to ask it afterwards will almost certainly land me, or anyone else who tries, in jail.Second is that we talk about all other forms of extreme ideology openly, and we condemn it universally. From far-right, white nationalist organizations, such as the Proud Boys, to Khalistan Extremism. Fair is fair.Last and most important is because ever since October 7 last year, Jewish people around the world, including here in Canada, have been under constant attack.Every day across our country, there are brazen antisemitic demonstrations conducted in the guise of being pro-Palestinian. Their aim is to intimidate, not only Jewish communities, but anyone who may oppose their point of view. As a result it has contributed to a staggering increase in anti-Jewish hate crimes and tolerance of them.It is relentless. And so far, it has been largely unopposed by the police, politicians or any level of government. And now, it’s evolving to potentially taint Canada’s MP’s and worse still, our foreign policy.The NDP’s original motion was the manifestation of all that. While it was, and remains non-binding, the fact that it passed at all, even in a modified state, signifies a significant and objectionable shift in our politics.Among other things, the original NDP motion called for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages and an arms embargo on Israel. But most significant it called for Canada to unilaterally and officially recognize Palestine as a sovereign state.Thankfully the amended version did not include the latter point, but it was only in the final minutes prior to the vote that it was removed. Had it not, it would have resulted in a departure from a foreign policy position that Canada has held for over 50 years.The vote aside, what political party in their right mind would recommend Canada recognize Palestine as a sovereign state? It’s still governed by Hamas, a Canadian listed terrorist organization and solely responsible for the October 7 massacre.The motion in both its original and amended form is in my opinion so repugnant, that the NDP ought to have been censured by the Speaker of the House of Commons for even tabling it.I say this wholeheartedly, because the NDP, with their ill-conceived motion, have signified that wanton rape, horrific murder, and sadistic torture are, by their position, a legitimate means to achieve internationally recognized statehood.Worse still, the message it sends to groups such as ISIS, Al-Shabaab, and Boko Haram is unmistakably clear. You have carte-blanche to do as you please in the name of achieving your own caliphates or independent states.So why did I single out Islamists and pro-Palestinian groups in my question?Because it’s not the United Church Women (UCW), Knights of Columbus, or 4-H clubs that are organizing these antisemitic demonstrations we’ve been seeing. As entities, they aren’t the ones targeting Jewish institutions, harassing the Prime Minister, disrupting the House of Commons, or calling for what the NDP motion proposed.No. The organizations responsible for those actions, the unrelenting displays of hate, and calls for intifada, are from groups such as Toronto4Palestine, Samidoun and Palestinian Youth Movement. As noted by the National Post in early March, these aforementioned groups have all openly endorsed Hamas’s Oct. 7 pogrom and called for the destruction of Israel. And with each passing week they’ve been getting bolder in their actions.Which is why we should be concerned and question the level of influence and impunity they seem to have gained, especially within the NDP.Any other group spouting anything half as extreme would be backlisted and under RCMP investigation. Their financials would be subject to seizure and a forensic audit while each of the organizers, and participants, and would be looked into thoroughly.Yet so far I’ve not been able to find any evidence that indicates they are.You can bet that if an organization surfaced in Canada calling for a resumption of apartheid in Zimbabwe and marched down the street chanting “Rhodesia shall rise again” it would be quelled almost immediately.Yet in the exact same vein, it appears to be perfectly acceptable for pro-Palestinian supporters to call for intifada or chant ‘From the River to the Sea” which is a call to erase the state of Israel and its people from existence.So calling for apartheid is bad but calling for genocide ok… so long as it’s the Jews.Is that the official position of the NDP or Hamas? Because that’s essentially what their motion was supporting and it’s growing increasingly difficult to tell the difference.It’s no secret that the NDP have an antisemitism problem, it’s come up several times over the years. The most recent example is the imbroglio that led to the resignation of Ms. Selina Robinson from the BC NDP.Those events and the resignation led the former national director for the Federal NDP Mr. Nathan Rotman, a Jewish man, to declare “it’s become uncomfortable to be Jewish in the party and that’s an understatement.”Which takes me back to my question.How is it that Islamists and organizations who have celebrated the depravity of Hamas been able to co-opt the NDP to have such a motion see the light of day?How has Canada passed a motion that condemns and punishes it’s long-time ally Israel, but barely holds Hamas to account in any regard?We all have an interest in answering these questions, but NDP supporters especially so.

THOMSON: What made the NDP turn against the Jews?

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