Harper. Pledges full support
Photo: AP
Canadian PM: Israel's right to self-defense unshakable
Canadian prime minister receives humanitarianism medal from Jewish organization for standing by Israel; during acceptance speech says 'groups, regimes seeking destruction of Israel will never bring peace or justice to Palestinians'
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced Friday that Canada would continue to stand by Israel, and object to international decisions detrimental to the State.
"Today, there is no longer any hesitation or ambiguity in Canada's position," he said, calling Israel a "friend and ally." Harper thanked the organizers of the benefit for the medal, which has previously been awarded to world leaders such as former Prime Ministers David Ben Gurion and Golda Meir, and former US Presidents Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy.
"Our support for her right to exist is unshakable. Our support for her right to self-defense is unequivocal," Harper said during a speech before supporters of the Jewish organization B'nai B'rith International, who awarded him the Gold Medallion medal for humanitarianism, making him the first Canadian to receive the award.
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The prime minister noted that Canada was the first country to suspend relations with Hamas. "We have stood firm on Israel's right to defend its existence against suicide bombers, terrorist groups, and the genocidal threats of regimes which support them," he said.
"Those groups and regimes who seek the destruction of Israel have not and never will bring peace or justice to the Palestinians; they can only prolong their suffering."
Harper also reiterated the government's boycott of an upcoming UN conference on racism in Durban, South Africa. He said Canada has "every reason" to expect the conference, scheduled for next year, will be a repeat of Durban I, during which the US and Israel were criticized by non-governmental organizations.
"This country will not be party to an anti-Semitic and anti-Western hatefest dressed up as an anti-racism conference," he said, adding that Canada has previously "refused to be bullied into signing on to one-sided international resolutions against Israel."
'Holocaust must be retold'
In a veiled reference to Iran, whose president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for Israel to be "wiped off the map," Harper declared that "those who seek to eliminate one nation will inevitably threaten us all."
Harper also highlighted Canada's participation in an international task force on Holocaust "education, remembrance and research. The Holocaust must be retold, not just for its value as history, but so that we recognize, today and in the future, its signs and its apostles wherever in the world they might appear."
The Canadian prime minister mentioned that his country's history "is not without its scars," referring to the decision to turn away hundreds of German Jewish Holocaust refugees attempting to reach Canada aboard the SS St. Louis in 1939. He called the decision "both tragic and indefensible."
