March 5, 2004
Honourable Melanie Joly
Minister of Foreign Affairs
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada, K1A 0A6
Dear Minister Joly;
On October 7th 2023, Hamas terrorist and followers from Gaza invaded Israel and raped and murdered over 1,200 Israelis, and injured thousands, from infants to seniors. Israeli girls and women bore the brunt of a horrific campaign of rape, and dismemberment, and hours of video evidence recorded live by the terrorists themselves, shows that even the men were raped.
The Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel published indisputable evidence of systemic widespread and sadistic sexual violence committed by Hamas during the October 7th massacre. You chose to remain silent. But not completely silent.
Instead, you chose to invert the horrific reality, and retweet an antisemitic and false blood libel accusing IDF soldiers of raping Gazan women. Those baseless and despicable claims come from a condemned and known antisemite, Francesca Albanese, who has been called a moral embarrassment to the U.N. and was accused of antisemitism just last week by a number of our G7 allies. Francesca Albanese denied Hamas's extensively documented sexual violence against Israelis on October 7th in a statement 4 days later on October 11th.
Let us remind you, the ONLY rapes going on in this conflict are those by Hamas, which continue EVEN NOW against the 134 Israeli hostages still in their hands in Gaza, of which 14 are young women held , as reported by released hostages, as sex slaves. Where is your voice on this war crime?
How can you, a woman and foreign minister of our great democracy, representing Canadian values of individual rights and freedoms and carriers of the heritage of Pearson’s peace keeping Blue Berets, chose to promote a lie denying ongoing rapes, designed to increase antisemitism, and create a false equivalence between terrorist antisemitism, and create a false equivalence between terrorist Hamas and the IDF? Shame on you!!
Remember, with great power comes great responsibility. We call upon you to issue a full retraction and apology to the Canadian public and to Israel, Canada’s close ally.
But, if you prefer to represent a different set of values, condoning torture, rape and murder - we say to you- resign!!
Sincerely,
Andria Spindel
Executive Director
Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation
P.S. As of March 4, 2024 the UN has confirmed the massacre on October 7th was accompanied by rape and sexual violence committed by Hamas against the women and men, girls and boys and such violence is likely continuing today in Gaza.
Cc Hon. Marci Ien, Hon. Ya’ara Saks, Hon. Pierre Poilievre