Canada’s Liberals Strike Back Against Israel Attacks

Canada’s ruling Conservative Party has been hammering the opposition Liberals as wishy-washy when it comes to Israel, in an attempt to woo the country’s 350,000-strong Jewish community. Now, the Liberal Party has found an inventive response: instead of portraying itself as every bit the one-dimensional, no-questions-asked Israel supporters that the Conservatives claim they themselves are, they’re arguing that by taking more measured pro-Israel stances, they are doing Canadian Jews a service. Said one Liberal MP, who heads the party’s pro-Israel group:

I appreciate the support of the Jewish community, unequivocally I appreciate the support of Israel. But by making it frequently into a black-and white-issue, [the Conservatives are] setting it up as a wedge. And they’re also setting it up so that people who have been long-time strong supporters of Israel are questioning issues like the de-funding of Kairos. And it’s creating a backlash.

(Kairos is a church-sponsored non-governmental organization that has helped organize anti-Israel boycotts, and which the government has de-funded.)

In purporting to represent the best interests of Canada’s Jewish citizens, the Liberals possess a certain inherent credibility: as in the United States, most of Canada’s Jews tend to vote for the more left-wing of the two main political parties.

Canadian Opposition: Harper’s Staunch Pro-Israel Support May Spark Anti-Semitism [Globe and Mail/Vos Iz Neias?]

Earlier: Canada’s PM Harper Continues Drive For Jewish Votes