HonestReporting Canada

Recently, Harvard University re-extended an invitation to Kenneth Roth, the former executive director of Human Rights Watch (HRW), to join the school as a fellow, after reportedly initially canceling the original invite ostensibly due to his anti-Israel bias. But while Harvard apparently caved to pressure in re-admitting Roth, it shone a light on how Roth and Human Rights Watch in general have become so prominent, despite their problematic anti-Israel biases.

When Israel was proclaimed on May 14, 1948, the country’s future wasn’t necessarily guaranteed. Almost immediately, it was invaded by surrounding Arab armies, intent on destroying Israel. But since then, Israel has more than just survived – it has thrived, into a vibrant economy, a free society, and a beacon of assistance for other countries around the world. As Israel turns 75 years old, it’s time to recognize how far the country has come, and how much promise still lies ahead.

Calgary’s Mount Royal University (MRU) is scheduled to present the “Calgary Peace Prize” on May 18 to Mohammed El-Kurd, one of the world’s most prominent anti-Israel activists. The prize claims to recognize El-Kurd’s “exemplary contribution toward peace and justice,” but El-Kurd is no human rights activist; he has frequently shared anti-Israel disinformation and even antisemitic propaganda with his large social media following and regularly glorifies Palestinian terrorists. Why is a publicly-funded institution presenting this prize to such an individual, and where is the media coverage?

Anti-Israel activist Firas al-Najim, the founder of the non-profit group Canadian Defenders for Human Rights (CD4HR), recently spoke at an anti-Israel rally in Guelph, Ontario, where he baselessly accused “Zionists” of bullying and blackmailing Canadian news media and politicians into supporting Israel. Al-Najim has shared antisemitic tropes in the past, including accusing ‘Zionists’ of being involved in the 9/11 terrorist attacks and accusing a Jewish Member of Parliament of being a secret Israeli agent.

In early June, residents in Ontario’s Kawartha region, known for its scenic natural beauty, received antisemitic flyers delivered to their homes. The flyers accused Jews of controlling the media, of “the Covid agenda,” “child grooming,” and more. But the flyers aren’t an isolated incident; a Florida-based hate group called Goyim Defense League (GDL) is behind the effort, and members of the organization have harassed Jews in multiple cities in the United States. While the news media may not be aware of this threat, it still must be taken seriously.

In mid-June, the British government introduced a bill which, if passed by Parliament, would ban local councils across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales from passing anti-Israel boycott resolutions. The bill has received support from the British government’s Jewish community, but is being actively opposed by anti-Israel groups, who are pressuring their local Members of Parliament (MPs) to oppose the legislation. Despite opposition, the legislation marks an important step in holding local councils accountable for anti-Israel campaigns, and is a step that Canada should follow.

Only four years after moving its embassy to Jerusalem, the U.S. is now looking to open a consulate serving the Palestinian Authority in Jerusalem, which Israel views as an effective slap in the face. While Israel says it will not allow such an effort to undermine its legitimacy in its eternal and undivided capital, in reality, the move is a highly significant attack on Israel’s claims to the holy city and it serves to prejudge a final status issue that the parties must negotiate.

This past week, Israel commemorated Yom Hazikaron, its annual day of remembrance and memorial for its fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism. Since 1860, more than 24,000 Israelis and those visiting Israel have died as a result of attacks. On Yom Hazikaron, much of Israel comes to a complete standstill at 11 am local time, when sirens across the country blare for one minute in remembrance of those who fell. While the news media doesn’t always show, it's an image that tells the true story of Israel: persistence in the face of adversity and a solemn and powerful reminder of Israel’s sacrifices.

Jerusalem is more than just the capital of Israel, and the home to the holiest sites in Judaism, as well as locations of huge importance for Christianity and Islam. It is also a diverse, cosmopolitan city, but also deeply religiously conservative. Despite this, Jerusalem is also host to a large Pride Parade every year, attracting as many as 25,000 revelers. This year on June 1, Jerusalem’s Pride Parade is held, showcasing Israel’s commitment to tolerance and equal protection under the law for all its citizens.

In mid-October 2022, Toronto police reported that they were searching for a suspect in connection with vandalizing dozens of cars with swastikas in downtown Toronto.While this incident is non-violent, it serves as a striking reminder of the need to respond to the appearance of public swastikas with haste and seriousness, as the symbol is an unabashed representation of antisemitic hate.

On November 1, Israel underwent another election - its fifth in three years. And while many Israelis grumble at the electoral impasse, the ongoing voting is a stark reminder of the democratic rights that Israelis enjoy while hundreds of millions of people throughout the Middle East lack. Even in countries where elections take place, like Lebanon, the widespread lack of civil rights demonstrates that democracy does not only take place at the ballot box.

Since being approved by dozens of countries and mainstream Jewish communities around the world in 2016, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism has become widely accepted around the world, Canada included and increasingly by Canadian provinces and cities with Vancouver being the latest to adopt it. But the IHRA definition is aggressively opposed by anti-Israel groups, who misrepresent it. This leads to the ultimate question: why are these groups so threatened by the IHRA definition?

In late July, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a new proposal: a $35 billion dollar (CAD) high-speed train, which would travel from Kiryat Shmona in Israel’s north, all the way to the port city of Eilat, in southern Israel. The train, which would travel as fast as 250 kilometres per hour, could do more than connect Israel; it could also serve as a future link between the Jewish State and Saudi Arabia, should a bilateral agreement be signed establishing relations. Israel’s planning of a high-speed railway represents more than just a new train line; it also represents the country’s investment in the future.

For years, anti-Israel and antisemitic content has filled Palestinian school textbooks, even earning a harsh rebuke from the European Union (EU) Parliament this past April, but despite the criticism, little seems to have changed. Palestinian textbooks, which demonize Israel and Jews are a major obstacle to peace, and are effectively child abuse, harming both Palestinians and Israelis, but will the Canadian media report on it?

It was less than 80 years ago that Germany’s Nazi party invaded Europe, targeting the continent’s Jews for mass murder. But today, Germany and Israel – the Jewish State – enjoy close relations in many areas, including economic, diplomatic, defence, and cultural. Recently, German’s parliament approved a large self-defence deal with Israel, and also released a strategic document, which placed major importance on Berlin’s ties with the Jewish State. In just a few decades, Germany has become an indispensable friend and ally of Israel – and the future looks even brighter.

On the heels of the antisemitism controversy surrounding rapper Kanye West, now, Kyrie Irving, a basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets, is in hot water for sharing a link to a rabidly anti-Jewish “documentary” on his social media channels. Fortunately, his employer took action, and publicly called out Irving and suspended him without pay, showing what steps the corporate world needs to take when anti-Jewish hatred rears its ugly head.

On June 3, an Egyptian border police officer murdered three innocent Israeli soldiers in an unprovoked attack. The attack, though a rarity, highlights an uncomfortable truth in Egypt: despite the country’s 44-year-old peace treaty with Israel, hostility towards the Jewish State runs extremely high, and the vast majority of Egyptians oppose official ties with the country. True peace means more than just an absence of war; as shown with Israel’s recent ties with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), it means a true embrace of coexistence between two peoples.

This week, Jews around the world celebrate the holiday of Chanukkah. More than two thousand years ago, King Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the Hellenistic Greek leader of the Seleucid Empire, sought to forcibly assimilate the Jews living in Judea & Samaria (sometimes referred to as the "West Bank" by the news media). Those who refused would be put to death. But the Jews fought back, and against all odds, they won. This victory commemorating the Jewish People’s self-determination in their historic homeland, remains incredibly potent today, particularly in the face of those who seek to erase the Jewish connection to their ancestral homeland.

Recently, Israel blacklisted six Palestinian NGO's for their connections to terrorism, accused them of funneling foreign aid to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a proscribed terror group which has murdered innocent Israelis. Instead of lauding Israel for the move, much of the international media has issued condemnations alleging that the Jewish state was attempting to quash dissent instead of daring to defend its citizens from terror attacks.

Whenever a public figure or celebrity makes antisemitic comments, they are invariably invited to visit a Holocaust museum in order to learn and correct the error and harm of their statements. And while there is indisputably value in learning about the Nazi Holocaust against Europe’s Jews, what if there’s a better way to combat antisemitism and help educate public figures about the dangers of anti-Jewish hatred?

In early April, 23-year-old Zuhair al-Ghaleeth was shot and dumped into an unmarked grave outside the city of Nablus. According to Lion’s Den, a Palestinian terrorist group that claimed responsibility for his murder, he was a “collaborator” with Israel. Even after his death, his family refused to accept his body for burial, and all but disowned him. Where is the news media coverage when it comes to Palestinians murdered by their own?

The United Nations, hardly known for its balance when it comes to Israel, has sunk to a new low. On December 30, 2022, the last weekday of the calendar year, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution calling on the world body’s affiliated court, the International Court of Justice, to weigh in on a host of alleged misdeeds on Israel’s part, including attempting to change the “character and status” of Jerusalem, the Jewish State’s capital. While the court cannot enforce any findings, it represents only the latest attempt by the United Nations to demonize Israel on the world stage.

At a recent United Nations conference on the “Nakba,” the Arabic word meaning "catastrophe", in regard to Israel’s independence in 1948, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas compared Israel to Nazi Germany, specifically Nazi Minister of Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels. Only months after Abbas claimed that Israel had committed “50 Holocausts” against the Palestinians, it’s time for the news media – and the world at large – to hold the Palestinian leader to account for his false and inciting words.

On January 14, the Iranian regime announced that it had executed Alireza Akbari, a dual Iranian-British national who had previously served as the country’s deputy defense minister, on charges of spying for the British government. Prior to his execution, Akbari was recorded stating that the Iranian government had tortured a confession out of him. Will Akbari’s execution finally lead to Iran’s leaders being held to account?

In recent days, Iran and the United States announced a tentative deal, which would see both countries release a number of prisoners, and the United States would unfreeze billions in Iranian funds, locked due to sanctions. While the funds are officially to be used exclusively for humanitarian purposes, Tehran is already making clear it can spend the money however it wants, a chilling spectre, given the regime’s extensive funding for terrorist groups. As critics of the deal fear the agreement serves as a ransom that will incentivize and underwrite more terrorism and hostage-taking, it’s time that the news media shine a critical light on this tentative deal, and make sure that Iran is held to account.