Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has called Israel a “light of freedom and democracy” in a “region of darkness” and Israel has reciprocated by naming a bird sanctuary after the Canadian leader. The two governments are locked in an embrace, but polls show that Canadians generally view Israel - along with Iran and North Korea - unfavorably. Harper was the chief guest at the Jewish National Fund's Negev dinner in Toronto. The fund raises money and this year the funds will go to the “Stephen J. Harper Hula Valley Bird Sanctuary Visitor and Education Center” in Israel. Islam being the only religion Canadians view negatively, the prime minister's reference to a “region of darkness” isn't shocking. And surely Canadians should delight in the creation of a bird sanctuary and for it being named after a Canadian leader. But some 200 Canadians, representing 30 organizations led by Independent Jewish Voices, demonstrated in bitter cold weather to display their displeasure. Aboriginal leaders beating drums drew attention to the theft of their lands and ongoing discrimination against them in Canada. Others demonstrated because while they favor protecting birds, they oppose ethnic cleansing and land grab, especially if this is done partly with their tax dollars. The Hula Valley, north of the Sea of Galilee, housed Palestinian villages for generations. Israeli historian Benny Morris asserts that in General Yigal Allon's Operation Broom in 1948 Israeli soldiers attacked Bedouin villages, expelled the inhabitants and blew up their houses. This is where the bird sanctuary is to be established. Then the government, using JNF funds, subsidized Jewish immigrants. Though the project flopped, Israel termed the area a bird sanctuary and refused to allow the Palestinian villagers to return to their land in the Negev (Al-Naqab). Donations to JNF being tax-deductible, Canadians are subsidizing the JNF which raised some $12 million in Canada last year. The Israeli high court, the United Nations Human Rights Council and the US Department of State have stated that JNF discriminates severely against Palestinians. Founded in 1901 by the 5th Zionist Council, JNF's mandate was to buy land in Palestine for Jews. By 1947 it had purchased some seven percent of Palestinian land. After its creation in 1948, Israel expelled 750,000 Palestinians from their homes, according to Zionist records, and gave their land to the JNF which it managed “exclusively for Jewish use.” This has been ongoing. A Canada Park was created where three Palestinian villages had existed prior to their destruction in 1967. JNF helped build a public park over the confiscated Palestinian land. In the Negev, Bedouins are forced off their land and subsidies given to Jewish settlers to take the stolen land with JNF's involvement. In Arab East Jerusalem, JNF money is being used to build a tourist attraction ousting thousands of Palestinian families from their homes. Bedouin villagers rebuilt their villages 49 times, only to have them bulldozed by Israeli authorities. Israelis want to establish instead a forest financed by the Jewish National Fund after ousting the Bedouins. In Canada, JNF has been raising funds for a long time and donations made are tax-deductible. The annual Negev dinners in Canada aim to assist “the development of the Negev desert region.” Last year the expulsion of the Bedouin was to be accelerated. The Prawer-Begin Bill, approved by the Israeli Knesset in June 2013, sought to oust some 70,000 Arab Bedouin citizens of Israel from 36 villages. The bill has been withdrawn and a new bill is being considered. In 2011, British Prime Minister David Cameron withdrew his patronage of the JNF. In 2012 the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination condemned Israel's treatment of the Bedouin and recommended that it scuttle its plan for Bedouin resettlement. So did the European Parliament. Ninety-one renowned Canadian authors signed a petition opposing Israel's plans. Independent Jewish Voices supports Israel, but it also respects Jewish values and favors a peace built on justice for Palestinians as well. So do some others. Last spring the Association for Asian American Studies voted to boycott Israeli academic institutions. Now the American Studies Association has voted to boycott Israeli academic institutions. While some of its members opposed the boycott because they believe global engagement and free exchange of ideas are essential to advancing knowledge and strengthening mutual understanding, ASA said its action expresses “solidarity with scholars and students deprived of their academic freedom and it aspires to enlarge that freedom for all, including Palestinians.” Boycott supporters state that the Israeli universities are a part of a system that denies Palestinians basic rights and so the association will not collaborate with Israeli academic institutions. While the boycott of Israeli universities is growing steadily in the West, ASA is the largest and oldest organization in the United States that promotes the study of American culture and history. It is comprised of 5,000 members and 2,000 member institutions. Perhaps the actions of people with conscience will enable justice and human rights to prevail over injustice and oppression in the Middle East and elsewhere in our global village.
— Mohammed Azhar Ali Khan is a retired Canadian journalist, civil servant and refugee judge.
