Canada to Host Its First UN NGO Conference on Palestine

By John Dirlik

In a move that caused consternation among Jewish organizations, Canada agreed for the first time to host the Annual North American Non-Governmental Organizations Conference on the Question of Palestine.

To be held June 28-30 in Montreal, this eighth such conference will mark the first time that the United Nations-sponsored meeting has been held away from UN headquarters in New York. The theme will be "Protecting Lives and Promoting Peace," and the conference is expected to draw about 300 delegates from trade unions, churches and peace organizations to discuss ways the UN can protect Palestinians in the Israeli occupied territories.

The Ottawa-based Canada-Israel Committee (CIC)—the Canadian equivalent of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)—expressed disappointment that Canadian officials did not consult with it before agreeing to host the conference. CIC National Director Robert Ritter also complained that Ottawa's decision was tantamount to "implicitly endorsing" what he termed a "one-dimensional" and "unbalanced" conference.

"This conference will perpetuate a polarized, skewed approach," said Ritter. "Canada should be looking for ways to promote constructive, alternative mechanisms. This is counterproductive."

Itzhak Levanon, Israel's consul-general in Montreal, said he also was displeased with the conference, but did not want to give it undue publicity by opposing it. "Usually these [conferences] have been very low-key affairs," he said.

Organizers of the conference said, however, that one reason for holding it in Canada is that it "may help stiffen the backbone" of the Mulroney government. "We will reach more people by holding it in Canada than by holding it in New York, " said Professor Jim Graff, vice-chairperson of the coordinating committee.

NDP Slams Canadian Jewish News

Members of the New Democrats (NDP)—a party which is running a close second to the opposition Liberals—have signed a petition against Canada's largest Jewish newspaper protesting a front-page story which, they say, slandered their external affairs critic and was aimed at discrediting the NDP in the Jewish community.

The March 7 article in the Canadian Jewish News was headlined "Robinson Blasts Israeli 'Gassing,"' in reference to Svend Robinson's description of a tear gassing incident he witnessed while on a recent trip to the Israeli-occupied territories. It accused the MP from British Columbia of taking "an extreme anti-Israeli position" and warned its readers that Robinson would become secretary of state for external affairs should the NDP come to power.

Robinson's "gassing" remark was described in the article as "extremely offensive" by the Canada-Israel Committee because it "consciously or otherwise" drew a parallel to the gassing of Jews by Nazis during the Holocaust. The NDP insisted, however, that at no time did Robinson compare the treatment of Palestinians by Israelis to the treatment of Jews by Nazis, and said it hoped readers of the Canadian Jewish News would "see through these scurrilous accusations and treat them with the contempt they deserve."

Robinson—whose party was under fire from the Jewish community during the Gulf crisis for its outspoken opposition to the war against Iraq—expressed disappointment over being misinterpreted, saying his words were "taken out of context and distorted in a way that was really quite repugnant."

The external affairs critic described himself as a "strong supporter of Israel's right to exist within secure borders, " even though he has not backed away from repeatedly condemning Israeli human rights violations against Palestinians. Robinson also stirred controversy last year when he met with PLO leader Yasser Arafat in a bid to gain the release of Canadian hostages held by the Iraqi government.

BC Teachers' Manual Under Attack

A resource manual designed to help teachers in British Columbia respond to their students' questions about the recent Gulf War has been denounced as full of "inaccuracies, inexplicable omissions and biased editorializing" by the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC).

The booklet, Understanding the Middle East Crisis, was distributed early this year to 1,500 elementary and secondary schools by the British Columbia Teachers' Federation (BCTF). It included a brief historical overview of the Middle East and a bibliography of publications representing a variety of viewpoints.

According to Michael Elterman, chairman of the CJC Pacific Region, the booklet's “apparent intention [is] to present Israel as an illegitimate, aggressive entity." He said that while it purports to provide a background to the Gulf crisis, the book deals "disproportionately with the Palestinian-Israeli conflict."

Jim McFarlane, the assistant executive director of BCTF, defended the manual, saying it was an attempt by concerned teachers to provide their colleagues with a reference guide, and was meant to be neither a "comprehensive history nor a final authority."

"These people had no axe to grind. They did not have a political bone in their bodies."

McFarlane stressed that the BCTF deliberately asked history teachers with no specialization in Middle East studies to research the subject so as to ensure they would tackle questions most likely raised by those unfamiliar with the subject. "These people had no axe to grind. They did not have a political bone in their bodies," he said.

McFarlane added that in its 30-year history the BCTF had produced 800 teachers' manuals on a variety of subjects but that none had provoked as much controversy. Although Arab and Islamic groups offered minor criticism of the latest booklet, McFarlane said it was the CJC that took strongest exception. "I suspect frankly that anything short of a pro-Israel position would not satisfy the Congress," he said.

McFarlane also revealed that the CJC suggested to the Teachers' Federation it distribute a pamphlet published by an Ottawa-based Zionist group named Canadian Professors for Middle East Peace. According to McFarlane, the request was denied, since the BCTF only distributes material that it itself produces. "We're not about to distribute someone else's propaganda," he said.

The CJC expressed disappointment over BCTF's response to its complaints. "[It] doesn't appreciate the urgency to remedy the mistakes," Chairman Elderman said. "I have a sense that they feel they won't be dictated to by a lobby group."

John Dirlik, a free-lance writer from Montreal, Quebec, writes on Canadian and Mideast affairs.