Trudeau government lectures Israel as Iran, Hezbollah attack

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As Iranian missiles were raining down on Israel, sending more than nine million people into bomb shelters, the Trudeau government in Ottawa was lecturing Israel.

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As they have done for the last year, the Trudeau Liberals put all of the pressure on Israel to end the attacks that Iran and its proxies have been launching since Oct. 7, 2023.

If you need more proof that Canada, under Trudeau, has abandoned its traditional ally Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East, then you aren’t paying attention.

“Any escalation of the conflict is not something that we support,” International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen said when asked about reports of Israel sending troops into southern Lebanon.

Of course, this “conflict” between Israel and Lebanon is occurring because Hezbollah has fired more than 8,000 missiles at Israel since last October. Those attacks have forced at least 70,000 people to evacuate northern regions of Israel like Galilee.

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Every single part of the multifront war Israel is fighting right now ties back to Iran and yet instead of lecturing and pressuring Iran, the Trudeau government lectures Israel.

When Hamas attacked Israel from Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, they were backed by Iran. Hezbollah, which has been attacking Israel from Lebanon since Oct. 8, 2023, is also sponsored by Iran. The same goes for the Houthi rebels in Yemen who are taking part in that country’s civil war while also launching attacks at Israel and international shipping lanes in the region.

Is the Trudeau government calling out Iran?

Barely.

And when they do, the language isn’t as strong as it is when they call out Israel for responding to one of these Iran-backed attacks.

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“We need to make sure that there’s no escalation,” Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said Tuesday after Iran’s attacks were launched.

“Of course, Israel needs to be able to protect itself and that’s why we’ll continue to support its security and we’ll support, of course, through the Iron Dome. At the same time, we need to make sure that parties sit down and the war stops.”

Yes, if only Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, could just sit down with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sing Kumbaya and break some bread, then the world would be a better place.

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The fact is, Khamenei doesn’t want to talk to Netanyahu or any other Israeli. His dream is a world without Israel and preferably a world without Jews.

Could Joly please explain how Israel should sit down and negotiate with people whose opening and closing positions are the same – namely that all Israelis and Jews should be dead.

And what of her choice of words that Israel has the right to protect itself? That would seem to imply that Israel should never respond to the ongoing and escalating attacks being orchestrated by the mullahs in Tehran.

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Joly, one of the most incompetent ministers I have seen at any level of government in a quarter-century of covering politics, is taking Canada away from our traditional position of supporting Israel. There is a lot of speculation that this is being done with a future Liberal leadership run in mind, where she will seek the support of Muslim Canadians sympathetic to her positions.

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Quite frankly, it’s believable.

“The Iranian regime escalated its war against Israel when it fired 180 ballistic missiles at the people of Israel,” a group calling itself the Israeli Citizen Spokespersons Office said late Tuesday from Tel Aviv.

“Israel has not only the right to defend its people from such aggression — it has the obligation to defeat its enemies and ensure a better future for everyone in the region. All nations of the world that care about the future of humanity must side with Israel in this fight.”

Canada should be on the side of Israel as it battles Iran and its fellow travellers. Sadly, due to electoral politics at home, the Trudeau government has made the calculation not to stand with the only democracy in the Middle East.

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