The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
The state of Israel, founded in 1948 as a haven for European and Asiatic Jews displaced and persecuted in the Second World War, has been at war off and on with surrounding Arab states Ð many of whom call for the destruction of the Jewish nation. The most radical are Iran and Syria, who openly support anti-Israel terrorist groups, but who also fear Israeli military power. Israel has the support of the United States, Britain and at last Canada since the demise of the Liberal government. Israel has been funded since 1948 at least partially by North American and European Jewish organizations with fund drives such as "bonds for Israel." Tom, a wealthy Manitoba Jewish friend, is in retirement giving away his fortune for Jewish and Israeli causes, as are many other Canadians. Israel maintains a huge armed force with at least 600,000 in reserve. All citizens receive compulsory military training, which has kept their enemies at bay for 58 years. But still, citizens are always at risk of suicide bombers and other terror attacks. The state also has a policy of always responding to any attacks, and maintains in Mossad one of the world's best military intelligence organizations. This is why the attack by Hezbollah, killing three Israeli soldiers and capturing two, was a mystery to many observers. Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay called Hezbollah a "cancer-like group of cold-blooded killers, which is holding Lebanon hostage." Certainly an apt description of a group that has fired thousands of rockets at Israeli civilians even while taking the brunt of the Israeli armed forces. Much has been made of the loss of civilian lives in Lebanon, but Israel points out that Hezbollah imbeds itself and its rockets among the general population. States such as France and Germany Ð called "Surrender Monkeys" by many Ð have called for immediate ceasefire, which of course Hezbollah would consider a victory, allowing them to regroup and continue their terrorist ways. The USA, Britain and Canada have rejected this approach until Hezbollah stops firing rockets at civilians, returns the captive soldiers and in effect disarms, none of which they will do. As Prime Minister Harper said, to the consternation of many in the press, Israel's response was "measured." This has led to pro-Arab and Pro-Lebanese demonstrations against Canada's support for Israel, but Harper has stood firm. A July Winnipeg Free Press poll found 44 per cent thought Harper is rightly supporting Israel, 42 per cent did not agree, and 12 per cent thought there was not enough support for the Jewish state. Much of the big concern as the war began was about the 39,000 Canadians "trapped" in Lebanon. Who are they and what are they doing in this dangerous country? Apparently a lot of them are Lebanese Canadians who came to Canada to escape the Israeli occupation years ago, became Canadians, then went back to Lebanon to live as dual citizens. A number of them berated the Canadian government for not getting them out promptly, but only 7,900 of the 39,000 registered with the Canadian Embassy to leave the country. By late July, 8,700 had been evacuated at great risk by Canadian forces Ð and at taxpayers' expense. Apparently the rest are staying put. Some of those evacuated admitted to being fans of Hezbollah, and not enough expressed any gratitude for being rescued. The best example was the woman rescued by Stephen Harper's plane. She gave the Prime Minister "a piece of her mind" about the slowness of the evacuation. Harper said nothing, but you and I may have turned the plane around and returned her to Beirut. One prominent Winnipeg politician sent The Corner a message saying: "What the heck are 39,000 Canadians doing in Lebanon? Stephen should have left them there!" There is a question of dual citizenship that the Prime Minister has promised to look at. Doesn't citizenship imply responsibility and maybe even paying taxes to your country? A July Free Press online poll found that 75 per cent of respondents agreed that Canadians should be required to maintain a residence in Canada. Do you agree? Much more to come! Roger's Right Corner runs Wednesdays.
