Valse Avec Bachir – Le Film

Main Menu

  • Israel
  • Haifa
  • West Bank
  • Tel Aviv
  • Financial Affairs

Valse Avec Bachir – Le Film

Header Banner

Valse Avec Bachir – Le Film

  • Israel
  • Haifa
  • West Bank
  • Tel Aviv
  • Financial Affairs
Tel Aviv
Home›Tel Aviv›Vivian Bercovici: If Trudeau Thinks Loud Truckers Are A Threat, He Should Keep Quiet When Israel Faces Hamas Rockets

Vivian Bercovici: If Trudeau Thinks Loud Truckers Are A Threat, He Should Keep Quiet When Israel Faces Hamas Rockets

By Shelly J. Cazares
February 16, 2022
0
0

Breadcrumb Links

  1. Comment NP

In May 2021, when Hamas targeted Israeli civilians with thousands of rockets, and even scored a few direct hits, I don’t recall emergency powers being invoked

Publication date :

February 16, 2022 • 6 hours ago • 4 minute read • 24 comments

Left: <a class=Palestinian activists attend a funeral in Gaza. Right: A Freedom Convoy supporter demonstrates in Ottawa.” class=”featured-image__image” height=”750″ src=”https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/nationalpost/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/threats.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&h=216″ srcset=”https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/nationalpost/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/threats.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&h=216, https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/nationalpost/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/threats.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=576&h=432 2x” width=”1000″/>
Left: Palestinian activists attend a funeral in Gaza. Right: A Freedom Convoy supporter demonstrates in Ottawa. Photo by SAID KHATIBSAID KHATIB/AFP/Getty Images; TONY CALDWELL/Postmedia

Content of the article

TEL AVIV — In Israel on Monday, a “freedom convoy” further mimicking the usual traffic chaos in Jerusalem, and a small group of protesters lingered as close to the Knesset as possible.

Advertising

This ad has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Content of the article

It’s Israel. Security is a real thing here. So all the government buildings are, you know, very secure, especially the parliament building. Without high-level security clearances and multiple checks on their person, property and vehicle, no one and nothing comes closer than about half a mile to Democracy Headquarters.

Demonstrators said they were protesting against all warrants and advocating for freedom. Yet most Israelis were unaware this was happening, as far bigger issues dominated the news cycle on Monday — including a few that pose very real security threats.

Moreover, Israel has very few mandates left. Masks are mandatory here and there, but enforcement is lax. Life is very normal. So the trucker protest here was a bit of a yawn.

Advertising

This ad has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Content of the article

Israel is no stranger to loud and disruptive protests. I live a block from Rabin Square in Tel Aviv, which until recent renovations began was the main national venue for protests — especially when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in power. However, the municipal police had no trouble controlling the crowds.

For years there have been horribly disruptive protests outside the prime minister’s official residence every Saturday night. They were loud as hell and caused traffic chaos, but were also handled by the city police.

In May 2021, when Hamas targeted Israeli civilians with thousands of rockets, and even scored a few direct hits, I don’t recall emergency powers being invoked.

Amid the conflict, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a statement urging Israel to exercise “restraint” and “act in accordance with international law.” The inference, of course, is that in response to approximately 3,500 rockets launched by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad at civilian targets, the Israel Defense Forces‘ acts of self-defense were neither “restricted” nor “in accordance with international law”.

Advertising

This ad has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Content of the article

A week later, Trudeau pledged his continued support for “peacebuilding initiatives” that “support dialogue and cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians.” Then-Minister of International Development Karina Gould reinforced Trudeau’s comments, speaking of “building bridges between communities to resolve this conflict.”

While the sentiment was admirable, Iran-backed extremist forces in Gaza have demonstrated that they are not particularly open to dialogue. Hamas is recognized in Canada and much of the Western world as a terrorist organization. The very real threat to life, physical integrity and livelihoods during this period demanded a swift and strong military response.

Which brings us to Ottawa. Don’t get me wrong: I am for peace, order and good government. I’ve also long studied the fundamentals of well-functioning democracies: a free press, government accountability, freedom of speech and association, and all that jazz. And I’m a big fan of the quintessentially Canadian approach to safeguarding democratic rights and freedoms by balancing individual and collective interests. Tilt too far in one direction and you’ve got a Titanic in your hands.

Advertising

This ad has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Content of the article

There is no doubt that the circumstances in Israel and Canada are very different. Canada’s borders are more than peaceful. Yet government ministers called the protests an insurrection and an “illegal occupation”.

What might have started as a fringe movement advocating having tea with the Governor General in order to depose the duly elected government (I think we can all agree that they were a little unhinged) seemed to evolve into something different, very quickly: an outpouring of general frustration with ongoing COVID mandates and what some have called government overreach. The Freedom Convoy became a lightning rod for widespread discontent.

As a proud Canadian, I am deeply saddened. I remember the FLQ crisis, when Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau invoked the War Measures Act. I remember we were waiting for news from James Cross and Pierre Laporte. The latter, a Quebec cabinet minister, was assassinated by the terrorists. I remember the fear vividly – in my house, in my school, everywhere. And I remember the tireless leadership of Pierre Trudeau in the defense of peace, order, good government and principles.

Advertising

This ad has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Content of the article

I struggle, unfortunately, today to unravel the principled position of the current Trudeau government in its vilification of the participants and supporters of the Freedom Convoy. Spas, beer parties, impromptu barbecues, half-baked memorandums of understanding – none of this comes close to insurrection.

There do not appear to have been any serious attempts to negotiate, defuse or manage the situation. Throughout the two-week standoff, rather than acknowledge the diverse crowds protesting in various locations across Canada, the Prime Minister chose to dig in and continue to promote his rejection of the lot as fringe racists. We know from so many eyewitness reports that this did not reflect the facts on the ground.

The situation of the FLQ was a real national crisis. The Israeli civilians bombed in their homes by Hamas was a total crisis. But the Freedom Convoy and its followers occupy Ottawa with trucks, barbecues, bouncy castles and obnoxious horns? No.

Advertising

This ad has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Content of the article

On Monday, with the announcement that the federal government was invoking the Emergencies Act, one had to ask: why? The Ambassador Bridge – the most critical border crossing that had been blocked – had been cleared, without incident. Additional blockages were lifted soon after, also without incident.

Perhaps before resorting to the most extreme response, the government should have considered, you know, negotiating a resolution. A learning moment, you might call it.

national post

Vivian Bercovici is a former Canadian Ambassador to Israel. She lives in Tel Aviv.

  1. Jesse Kline: The right to protest deserves more than Trudeau’s words

  2. The roadblock on Highway 4 towards the Coutts, Alberta border crossing is seen February 4.

    Colby Cosh: The real worrying part of Ottawa’s emergency measures

Share this article on your social network

Advertising

This ad has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Logo of the published newsletter

PS published

Sign up to receive the best daily stories from the National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.

By clicking the subscribe button, you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300

Thank you for your registration!

A welcome email is on the way. If you don’t see it, please check your spam folder.

The next issue of NP Posted will soon be in your inbox.

We encountered a problem during your registration. Try Again

comments

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively yet civil discussion forum and encourages all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments can take up to an hour to be moderated before appearing on the site. We ask that you keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notifications. You will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, if there is an update to a comment thread you follow, or if a user follows you comments. Visit our Community Rules for more information and details on how to adjust your E-mail settings.

Related posts:

  1. SAP Foundry and Publicis launch an accelerator with 7 new startups
  2. Welcome to the new Casablancas: the cities of the world that have remained open
  3. Court approves rape charge against man accused of assaulting 13-year-old girl
  4. US investment manager BlackRock says it holds 3% stake in Bank Hapoalim
Tagsprime ministertel aviv

Recent Posts

  • The debate in Israel continues over Ukrainian refugees
  • Kristian Pitschugin breaks Israeli national record at Israel Association Cup
  • Israel increases its gas production and seeks to supply Europe
  • Palestinian man tries to stab soldier in northern West Bank and is shot by soldiers, IDF says
  • Maccabi held Be’ersheva to a 1-1 draw

Archives

  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021

Categories

  • Financial Affairs
  • Haifa
  • Israel
  • Tel Aviv
  • West Bank
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy