December 8, 2020
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne
Ambassador Bob Rae
Dear Prime Minister Trudeau, Minister Champagne, and Ambassador Rae;
Soon you will again have an opportunity to reflect on the historical and legal truth of the status of Jerusalem and vote at the United Nations. The most internationally recognized legal opinion forms the basis for the 1000 page thesis of Canada’s leading scholar in this area, Dr. Jacques Gauthier, who has presented his work in countless venues of government around the world, and must be taken seriously.
I am including a link to one of his recent lectures on Jewish rights to Jerusalem. I would suggest that unless you can prove Dr. Gauthier wrong, Canada should vote consistently for the Jewish claim, which is over 2000 years old and well documented.
Canada could be a world leader on the UN stage by standing up for truth and justice and not shaming Canadians by supporting a disingenuous claim by people who want nothing more than to destroy Israel.
It is not about peace that brings the organization Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East to run a campaign and petition urging people to tell our government to vote to “share” Jerusalem. Their intent is neither peace nor justice but the destruction of the only Jewish state in the world. If they were at all concerned about peace and justice in the MIDDLE EAST OR ELSEWHERE, might they not campaign to end the terrorism against minorities in Turkey, to end civil war in Yemen where tens of thousands of civilians have been killed or starved to death, or might they look at the irrefutable fact that all the Arab countries ethnically cleansed themselves of their ancient historic Jewish populations. Might they look at Jordan’s involvement in conflicts on the Temple Mount, the holiest site for Jews in the world, and might they look for justice for gays and lesbians in any and all Arab Muslim countries, of which there are 22 and NONE recognize human rights for LGBTQ people, nor for their own folks in fact.
The Liberal government has made many statements and promises about women’s rights and equality, about standing up for minorities, about recognizing freedom of religion, but NEVER practices it when it comes to addressing Muslim countries, and particularly those that discriminate daily against Israel and spread Jew hatred.
In our own country we see organizations like CJPME contributing to antisemitism; spreading lies about Israel is most definitely reminiscent of how lies about Jews endangered Jewish lives across Europe before and during WWII, and again today. The organization is not debating Israeli policy per se, but choosing to focus only on Israel and distribute lies wrapped in social justice lingo, but lies just the same.
It is time that Canada took the more authentic and principled stand that Jerusalem is the indivisible, eternal capital of Israel, and that Israel, like every other country has the right to declare its own capital, which it did 72 years ago. Why then does Canada choose not to recognize this fact? If Canada votes against Israel again at the UN or supports the treacherous motion proposed by CJPME, it is signaling its abnegation of the IHRA definition of antisemitism, and lying to the Jewish community of its real intent in supporting a major ally in the Middle East.
SEE video at this link: https://vimeo.com/427815248 titled, “The sources of Israel’s Territorial Sovereignty Over Jerusalem…” by Dr. Jacques Gauthier for the Institute for Studies in Global Antisemitism and Policy.
With respect,
Andria Spindel Executive Director
cc Dr. Charles Small, Founder and Director of ISGAP
Dr. Jacques Gauthier, Gauthier & Associates
Dr. Shimon Fogel, CEO of CIJA
Irwin Cotler, Special Envoy on Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism
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