Tribal Report: Canada, Australia, Judah and Britain (20 January, 2014, Shevet 19, 5774)
TR-68
Contents:
1. Canadian PM Speaks in Favor of Israel
2. Canadian PM Stephen Harper to Visit Israel
3. Australia FM: Do not call settlements illegal under international law
4. Canada's Consummate Support for Israel by David M. Weinberg
5. Judah and Britain. Famous Poet Wrote in defence of the Jews
Lord George Gordon Byron (1788-1824)- "Hebrew Melodies"
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1. Canadian PM Speaks in Favor of Israel
From: Allen Ramsay
Hi Yair,
FYI, I thought you might like to see this YouTube video of the Prime Minister of Canada showing affection
for the Jewish People at their recent Jewish National Fund dinner here in Canada.
I am thinking of the verse, 'I will Bless them that Bless you..."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWIQYcLpnxg
Regards, Al
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2. Canadian PM Stephen Harper to Visit Israel
Canadian PM Stephen Harper to Visit Israel
(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his wife Laureen will arrive in
Israel tomorrow (Sunday, 19 January 2014) on an official four-day visit. The
Canadian Prime Minister will be accompanied by ministers, MPs and business
people. This will be his first visit to Israel and the first by a serving
Canadian Prime Minister since 2000.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara will welcome Prime
Minister and Laureen Harper in an official ceremony tomorrow afternoon at
the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem. The Netanyahus will later host the
Harpers for dinner at their official residence in Jerusalem.
On Monday, 20 January, Prime Minister Harper will be the first Canadian
Prime Minister to address the Knesset.
On Tuesday morning, 21 January, will meet with President Shimon Peres and
attend a joint meeting of the Israeli and Canadian governments at the Prime
Minister's Office in Jerusalem. Prime Minister and Sara Netanyahu will,
afterwards, accompany the Harpers to Yad Vashem. An official dinner for
Prime Minister Harper, his wife and accompanying delegation will be held
Tuesday evening in Jerusalem.
On Wednesday, 22 January, the Harpers will tour Christian holy sites in
northern Israel, after which they will go to Tel Aviv University, where
Prime Minister Harper will receive an honorary doctorate and meet with
students.
Prime Minister Netanyahu and Canadian Prime Minister Harper have previously
met in London in April 2013 and in Ottawa in March 2012.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said, "Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is a
great friend of the State of Israel. He has strongly opposed against
attempts to delegitimize the State of Israel and has taken a praiseworthy
moral stand against these attempts. I welcome his arrival together with his
wife and the members of his delegation. We will work together to further
enhance the important relations between our two countries."
________________________________________
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis
Website: www.imra.org.il
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3. Australia FM: Do not call settlements illegal under international law
Exclusive: Australia FM: Don't call settlements illegal under international
law
In candid interview, Julie Bishop expresses skepticism about the peace
process, says boycott Israel activists are 'anti-Semitic'
By Raphael Ahren The Times of Israel January 15, 2014, 8:00 pm 84
http://www.timesofisrael.com/australia-fm-dont-call-settlements-illegal-under-international-law/#ixzz2qZo0I8kx
Extracts:
In a rare show of support for Israel's settlement enterprise, Australia's
foreign minister has said that the international community should refrain
from calling settlements illegal under international law, without waiting
for their status to be determined in a deal with the Palestinians.
In an exclusive interview with The Times of Israel, Julie Bishop suggested
that, contrary to conventional diplomatic wisdom, the settlements may not be
illegal under international law. She refrained from condemning Israeli
initiatives to build additional housing units beyond the Green Line or from
calling on Israel to freeze such plans, merely saying the fact that
settlements were being expanded showed the need for the sides to quickly
reach a peace agreement.
Asked whether she agrees or disagrees with the near-universal view that
Israeli settlements anywhere beyond the 1967 lines are illegal under
international law, she replied: 'I would like to see which international law
has declared them illegal.'
The position that settlements breach international law, adopted by the
United Nations Security Council, the European Union and many other states
and international bodies, but rejected by Israel  is based on an
interpretation of the Fourth Geneva Convention. Article 49, paragraph 6,
states that an occupying power 'shall not deport or transfer parts of its
own civilian population into the territory it occupies.' Violations of the
convention are considered war crimes under international law. Israel is a
party to the convention and therefore bound by it.
But since September, when the center-right Liberal Party of Prime Minister
Tony Abbott came to power in Canberra, Australia has been going to great
lengths to demonstrate staunch support for Jerusalem's policy on the
international stage. Under Bishop's stewardship, Australia has changed its
voting patterns at the UN in favor of Israel. While under her predecessor,
Bob Carr, Canberra often supported anti-Israel resolutions at the UN General
Assembly, she has had Australia oppose or abstain from several such
measures.
In November, Australia was one of only eight countries to abstain in a vote
on a resolution demanding that Israel cease 'all Israeli settlement
activities in all of the occupied territories.' Nearly 160 nations supported
the resolution. In December, Australia was one of 13 countries that did not
vote in favor of a resolution calling on Israel to 'comply scrupulously'
with the Geneva Convention (169 countries voted yes).
Bishop also condemned what she said was excessive pressure exerted on Israel
by Western states and civil society, including the threat of boycotts.
She also strongly condemned the global anti-Israel BDS movement: 'It's
anti-Semitic. It identifies Israel out of all other nations as being worthy
of a boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign? Hypocritical beyond
 belief.'
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4. Canada's Consummate Support for Israel
by David M. Weinberg January 17, 2014
BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 234
Extracts:
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Canada's weighty backing of Israel is comprehensive,
giving expression to moral principles. Ottawa defends Israel, consistently
before any other country in the world. Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his
team undoubtedly will be warmly welcomed in Jerusalem next week as valuable
allies and trusted friends.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Stephen J. Harper, who is to visit
Israel next week, Canada has emerged as Israel's staunchest ally in the
world. The record shows that Canada's support for Israel is comprehensive
and weighty. It is frequently a step ahead of the rest of the world, setting
a principled, pro-Israel example.
The Israeli government deeply respects and appreciates Canada's backing, and
holds Prime Minister Harper in the highest regard.
The First to Defend Israel
Canada was the first country in the world to immediately suspend direct aid
to the Palestinian Authority when Hamas was elected in 2006, because of that
terrorist organizations' refusal to recognize Israel, renounce violence, and
accept previous peace agreements. ... Canada's position was
quickly adopted by the US and the EU.
Canada was the first country in the world to withdraw its support from the
second UN World Conference Against Racism, known as Durban II. Noting the
anti-Semitic and anti-Israel hate-fest into which the original Durban
conference degenerated, the Canadian government led the boycott of the 2009
meeting, and was one of only 15 countries to boycott the Durban III summit
in 2011. Again, other Western allies followed Canada's lead.
Canada was the first country in the world to defend Israel's operation
against Hizballah, early during the 2006 Second Lebanon War. ...
After the war, Harper opposed a one-sided statement at the Francophonie
summit that sought to deplore the war and recognize the victims of Lebanon,
insisting that the resolution recognize losses on both sides. Canada's
steadfast position ultimately won the support of the other Francophonie
members for a balanced resolution.
During Operation Cast Lead in 2009 and Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012,
Canada likewise stood by Israel against Hamas aggression from Gaza. Foreign
Affairs Minister John Baird described Israel's right to self-defense in the
context of the broader conflict between terrorism and democracy: 'Far too
often, the Jewish people find themselves on the front lines in the struggle
against terrorism, the great struggle of our generation, Canada condemns the
terrorist group Hamas and stands with Israel as it deals with regional
threats to peace and security.
At the important G-8 summit in 2011, Prime Minister Harper single-handedly
blocked an American draft that specified Israel's pre-1967 borders as the
starting point for peace talks, because this ignored other issues such as
recognition of Israel as a Jewish state and demilitarization of a
Palestinian state. In the end, G-8 leaders conceded the merit of Harper's
position, and issued a balanced statement urging Israel and the Palestinians
to resume negotiations (with no mention of the 1967 lines).
Canada also has consistently stood up for Israel, often as a lone voice, in
the G-20, the UN Human Rights Council (UNCHR), International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA), and the UN General Assembly (UNGA). Over the three years that
it sat on the UNCHR in Geneva, Canada stood alone in defense of Israel -
eight times casting the only 'no' vote against unfair condemnations of
Israel. Also in Geneva, Canada played a critical role in getting Israel
membership in the Western European and Others Group (WEOG), a status that
Israel has sought for years.
Prime Minister Harper's government has taken a lead role at the IAEA in
Vienna and other international forums in opposing the Iranian drive for
nuclear weapons, and in backing sanctions against Iran. In 2012, Canada
closed its embassy in Tehran and expelled all Iranian diplomats from Ottawa.
It also outlawed Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Qods Force under
Canada's Anti-Terrorism Act.
Canada also expressed deep skepticism of the November interim agreement in
Geneva between the P5+1 and Iran.
It should be noted that in adopting these far-reaching positions, Harper has
expanded upon the pro-Israel foundations of previous Canadian governments,
particularly that of former Prime Minister Paul Martin. Moreover, Harper's
strong support of Israel has moved the needle in Canadian politics, with
Harper's forward positions being echoed by other Canadian political leaders.
Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau, for example, told Canadian Jews last
November that 'standing up for Israel is not just standing up for Israel, it's
standing up for the very values and ideals that define Canada: values of
openness, respect, compassion, that seek for justice and search for peace.'
And former Liberal Party interim leader Bob Rae wrote that 'those Arabs and
Palestinians who deny the legitimacy of Israel as the Jewish homeland have
to be seen as opponents of a real peace process.'
Moral Basis of Canadian Policy
There are deep moral underpinnings to Prime Minister Harper's worldview.
First, the Holocaust weighs heavily on the prime minister's mind and colors
his view of world affairs. 'Remembering the Holocaust is not merely an act
of historical recognition, but an undertaking,' he said in 2006. 'The same
threats exist today'. Memory requires a solemn responsibility to fight those
threats. And unfortunately, Israel remains a country under threat Â
threatened by those groups and regimes who deny to this day its right to
exist.
Second, Harper clearly understands the nature and dangers of modern
anti-Semitism. His government has explicitly adopted Natan Sharanskys 3-D
rubric, and slammed the constant barrage of rhetorical demonization, double
standards, and delegitimization of Israel.' In fact, the government has
signed and endorsed the 'Ottawa Protocol on Combating Anti-Semitism'
(developed at a 2010 meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Coalition for
Combating Anti-Semitism), which is the only global working definition and
concrete plan for combating anti-Semitism, especially state-sanctioned
anti-Semitism.
In explaining his government's tough stance against anti-Semitism, Harper
said: 'Why does Israel remain under threat? Make no mistake; look beyond the
thinly-veiled rationalizations. [Israel's enemies] hate Israel, just as they
hate the Jewish people. Our government believes that those who threaten
Israel also threaten Canada, because, as the last world war showed,
hate-fuelled bigotry against some is ultimately a threat to us all, and must
be resisted wherever it may lurk.'
Third, Harper's government clearly sees Israel as Canada's democratic ally.
In January 2012, Baird said that 'Israel embodies values that Canada holds
dear and respects. Israel is a beacon of light in a region that craves
freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.'
Fourth, Harper takes a meta-historic view of Israel's resurgence as a modern
nation-state. Speaking on Israel's 60th anniversary, he mused poetically
about Zionism: 'From shattered Europe and other countries near and far, the
descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob made their way home. Their
pilgrimage was the culmination of a two-thousand-year-old dream; it is a
tribute to the unquenchable human aspiration for freedom, and a testament to
the indomitable spirit of the Jewish people.'
Harper has gone even further, stating that the 'persistence of the Jewish
homeland is a sign of hope and a symbol of our faith in humanity's future,
in the power of good over evil.'
Conclusion
No country in the world is as generous as Canada in its trailblazing support
of Israel, without apologies or hesitations. Canada speaks out and acts to
defend Israel, consistently before any other country in the world, without
feeling the need to be 'politically-correct' and to 'balance' its statements
with (im)moral ambiguities about the Arab-Israeli conflict. Prime Minister
Harper acts out of deep moral commitment to the Jewish People and a
meta-historic view of Israel's resurgence as a modern nation-state.
Prime Minister Harper and his team undoubtedly will be warmly welcomed in
Jerusalem next week as valuable allies and trusted friends.
________________________________________
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis
Website: www.imra.org.il
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5. Judah and Britain. Â Famous Poet Wrote in defence of the Jews
Lord George Gordon Byron (1788-1824)- "Hebrew Melodies"
Â
Â
WERE MY BOSOM AS FALSE AS THOU DEEMS'T IT TO BE
Â
I
WERE MY BOSOM AS FALSE AS THOU DEEMS'T IT TO BE,
I need not have wandered from far Galilee;
It was but abjuring my creed to efface
The curse which, thou say'st, is the crime of my race.
Â
II
If the bad never triumph, then God is with thee!
If the slave only sin, thou art spotless and free!
If the Exile on earth is an Outcast on high,
Live on in thy faith, but in mine I will die.
Â
III
I have lost for that faith more than thou canst bestow,
As the God who permits thee to prosper doth know;
In his hand is my heart and my hope - and in thine
The land and the life which for him I resign.