Every state regurgitates such nonsense in their public pronouncements. Privately, they ALL negotiate for hostages.
Canadians With A Conscience Denounce Zionist "McCarthyism"
- Thread starter niniveh
- Start date
Right, I'm sure you believe that. Sorry but Hamas has not offered to release all of their hostages. Why would they because they just went to the effort to kidnap those old ladies and infants.
Israel has always negotiated for the release of their people including negotiating for the remains of their people. At the same time, there is no way they will happily reward Hamas for kidnapping a bunch of civilians.
You do know this, its been posted every time you make the same claim.
In other words, it doesn't matter if there was an offer because Netanyahu had genocide on his mind.
In other words, it doesn't matter if there was an offer because Netanyahu had genocide on his mind.
It does make a big difference.
Only Trudeau and Biden back Israel now.
If we can get Trudeau to respect the law that will effect Biden.
And only Biden can stop Netanyahu now.
Harvard Professors Challenge Univ. Prez
Instead of confronting head-on the threats from billionaires to long held "University Values", President Gay folded cravenly.
Harvard Faculty Statement In Support of Academic Freedom
Academic Freedom Faculty Statement
·
Follow
6 min read
·
3 days ago
7.9K
34
https://medium.com/plans?dimension=...udio_button----------------------------------
Dear President Gay:
As Harvard faculty, we have been astonished by the pressure from donors, alumni, and even some on this campus to silence faculty, students, and staff critical of the actions of the State of Israel. It is important to acknowledge the patronizing tone and format of much of the criticism you have received as well as the outright racism contained in some of it.
We were nevertheless profoundly dismayed by your November 9 message entitled “Combating Antisemitism.” The University's commitment to intellectual freedom and open dialogue seems to be giving way to something else entirely: a model of education in which the meaning of terms once eligible for interpretation is prescribed from above by a committee whose work was, on Tuesday, described to the faculty as only beginning.
There should surely be limits to what is speakable, even in a university. Saying things that are plainly untrue – denying the Holocaust, for example – merits condemnation. Derogating other members of the community in racist, xenophobic, sexist, homophobic, or transphobic language merits condemnation.
There must, however, be room on a university campus for debate about the actions of states, including of the State of Israel. It cannot be ruled as ipso facto antisemitic to question the actions of this particular ethno-nationalist government any more than it would be ipso facto racist to question the actions of Robert Mugabe's ethno-nationalist government in Zimbabwe. Nor can arguments that characterize Israel as an “apartheid" state or its recent actions as “ethnic cleansing” or even “genocide” be considered automatically antisemitic, regardless of whether one concurs with such arguments. The University’s recently-announced “Discrimination and Bullying Policies and Procedures,” it is useful to remember, includes “political belief” (and thus presumably its expression) as a protected category.
It is understandable that in the shadow of the twentieth-century history of Europe, Palestine, and Israel, as well as the attacks of October 7 and the ongoing catastrophe in Gaza, you would want to remind members of our community that their words have meaning. And yet, at a moment when an affiliate of the University has with apparent impunity stood in the yard and accused students of supporting terrorism, your delineation of the limits of acceptable expression on our campus is dangerously one-sided.
Similarly, the phrase "from the river to the sea, Palestine must be free" has a long and complicated history. Its interpretation deserves, and is receiving, sustained and ongoing inquiry and debate. Singling it out as necessarily implying removalism or even eliminationism – when over a million Palestinians have been forced from their homes and over ten thousand civilians, including four thousand children, have been slain in Gaza, actions which the Holocaust historian Omer Bartov suggests in the New York Times may amount to a “crime against humanity” being executed with “genocidal intent” – is imprudent as a matter of university policy and badly misjudged as an act of moral leadership.
We call on you to present a balanced commitment to the support of intellectual freedom at Harvard by taking the following steps:
- Resisting calls to suspend and/or decertify the Palestine Solidarity Committee in retaliation for its public statements and advocacy, and resisting calls to set aside the University’s normal disciplinary procedures to prematurely sanction students and employees because of concerns raised about their political activity absent specific allegations of wrongdoing (and those already thusly sanctioned must be reinstated pending a procedurally sound investigation);
- Directing the President’s Advisory Group on Antisemitism to explain its definition of antisemitism to the University community, as requested at the FAS faculty meeting of November 7, before recommending any policies touching upon the freedom of thought and expression on our campus;
- Explicitly and specifically affirming the University’s commitment to the freedom of thought, inquiry, and expression in light of the extraordinary pressure being brought to bear upon critics of the State of Israel and advocates of the Palestinian people, and indicating that there can be no tolerance for a “Palestine exception” to free speech;
- Creating an advisory group on Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab racism (as suggested at the FAS faculty meeting of November 7).
- Walter Johnson, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Kirsten Weld, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Vijay Iyer, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Deidre Lynch, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Nikolas Bowie, Harvard Law School
- Diane Moore, Harvard Divinity School
- Namwali Serpell, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Harvard Kennedy School
- Sidney Chalhoub, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Christopher Hasty, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Salma Abu Ayyash, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Jesse B. Bump, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
- Ryan D. Doerfler, Harvard Law School
- Atalia Omer, Harvard Divinity School
- Bram Wispelwey, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School
- Sara Roy, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Lucien Castaing-Taylor, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Neel Mukherjee, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Margareta Matache, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
- Soham Patel, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- John Womack, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Musa Syeed, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Jacinda Tran, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Vincent Brown, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Adhy Kim, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Richard Thomas, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Lara Jirmanus, Harvard Medical School
- Altaf Saadi, Harvard Medical School
- Hibah Osman, Harvard Medical School
- Lisa Thompson, Harvard School of Dental Medicine
- Khameer Kidia, Harvard Medical School
- Mary T Bassett, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
- Sawsan Abdulrahim, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
- Cemal Kafadar, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Lauren Kaminsky, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Amy Hollywood, Harvard Divinity School
- Malak Rafla, Harvard Medical School
- Bassima Abdallah, Harvard Medical School
- Alejandra Caraballo, Harvard Law School
- Eleanor Craig, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Matylda Figlerowicz, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Adam Haber, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
- Tara K. Menon, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Arunabh Ghosh, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Joel Suarez, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Karameh Kuemmerle, Harvard Medical School
- Sam Marks, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Rosie Bsheer, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Nader Uthman, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Glenda Carpio, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Adaner Usmani, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Paulina Alberto, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Sarah Darghouth, Harvard Medical School
- Alisa Khan, Harvard Medical School
- Patricia Stoeck, Harvard Medical School
- Hajirah Saeex, Harvard Medical School
- Sherar Andalcio, Harvard Medical School
- Diana L. Eck, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Gordon Schiff, Harvard Medical School
- Mahmoud Abu Hazeem, Harvard Medical School
- Rania El Fekih, Harvard Medical School
- Hicham Skali, Harvard Medical School
- Ramona Dvorak, Harvard Medical School
- Kamal Itani, Harvard Medical School
- Haytham Kaafarani, Harvard Medical School
- Ousmane Kane, Harvard Divinity School
- David U. Himmelstein, Harvard Medical School
- Joycelyn Ronda, Harvard Medical School
- Christian Williams, Harvard Law School
- Steffie Woodhandler, Harvard Medical School
- Ju Yon Kim, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- M. Amin Arnaout, Harvard Medical School
- Autumn Allen, Harvard Graduate School of Education
- Avik Chatterjee, Harvard Medical School
- Farhana Sharmeen, Harvard Medical School
- Duncan Kennedy, Harvard Law School
- Aisha James, Harvard Medical School
- Corey Hardin, Harvard Medical School
- Caroline Light, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Karen Huang, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- George Aumoithe, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Michelle Morse, Harvard Medical School
- Sadeq Rahimi, Harvard Medical School
- Sugata Bose, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Lorenzo Bondioli, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Michael Bronski, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- David Kennedy, Harvard Law School
- Christina Villarreal, Harvard Graduate School of Education
- Hilary Rantisi, Harvard Divinity School
- Kassem Safa, Harvard Medical School
- Huma Farid, Harvard Medical School
- Bernhard Nickel, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Amanda Raffoul, Harvard Medical School
- Martha Ann Selby, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Marshall Ganz, Harvard Kennedy School
- Amir Mohareb, Harvard Medical School
- Eman Ansari, Harvard Medical School
- Mohamed Jarraya, Harvard Medical School
- Liz McKenna, Harvard Kennedy School
- Maggie Doherty, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Hussein Rashid, Harvard Divinity School
- Juliana Morris, Harvard Medical School
- Sandra Smith, Harvard Kennedy School
- Kaia Stern, Harvard Graduate School of Education
- Nicholas Bloom, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Theodore Weatherwax, Harvard Medical School
- Rita Hamad, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
- Emmet von Stackelberg, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Areej Hassan, Harvard Medical School
- David Showalter, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Amina Elbendary, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Pedja Stojicic, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
- Ryan Enos, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Raif S. Geha, Harvard Medical School
- Chance Bonar, Harvard Divinity School
- Nikhil Mathews, Harvard Medical School
- Hesham Hamoda, Harvard Medical School
- Talal Chatila, Harvard Medical School
- Jennifer Leaning, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
- Gretchen Brion-Meisels, Harvard Graduate School of Education
You know that most of those civilians are children, right?
You're a cold blooded genocidal maniac.
you should be decrying the dangers of appeasing and trying to justify the murderous barbarism of Hamas. But then again apart from effectively holding Gaza hostage and building tunnels and Rockets instead of a country they only murder, rape, beheld Jews including babies the elderly the infirm.
This article is pretty shocking, with an Israeli government official saying the silent part out loud, claiming that unless US universities do what the Israeli government wants them to do, shut down Palestine protests, they will shut down funding.Harvard Professors Challenge Univ. Prez
Instead of confronting head-on the threats from billionaires to long held "University Values", President Gay folded cravenly.
Harvard Faculty Statement In Support of Academic Freedom
Academic Freedom Faculty Statement
·
Follow
6 min read
·
3 days ago
7.9K
34
https://medium.com/plans?dimension=...udio_button----------------------------------
Dear President Gay:
As Harvard faculty, we have been astonished by the pressure from donors, alumni, and even some on this campus to silence faculty, students, and staff critical of the actions of the State of Israel. It is important to acknowledge the patronizing tone and format of much of the criticism you have received as well as the outright racism contained in some of it.
We were nevertheless profoundly dismayed by your November 9 message entitled “Combating Antisemitism.” The University's commitment to intellectual freedom and open dialogue seems to be giving way to something else entirely: a model of education in which the meaning of terms once eligible for interpretation is prescribed from above by a committee whose work was, on Tuesday, described to the faculty as only beginning.
There should surely be limits to what is speakable, even in a university. Saying things that are plainly untrue – denying the Holocaust, for example – merits condemnation. Derogating other members of the community in racist, xenophobic, sexist, homophobic, or transphobic language merits condemnation.
There must, however, be room on a university campus for debate about the actions of states, including of the State of Israel. It cannot be ruled as ipso facto antisemitic to question the actions of this particular ethno-nationalist government any more than it would be ipso facto racist to question the actions of Robert Mugabe's ethno-nationalist government in Zimbabwe. Nor can arguments that characterize Israel as an “apartheid" state or its recent actions as “ethnic cleansing” or even “genocide” be considered automatically antisemitic, regardless of whether one concurs with such arguments. The University’s recently-announced “Discrimination and Bullying Policies and Procedures,” it is useful to remember, includes “political belief” (and thus presumably its expression) as a protected category.
It is understandable that in the shadow of the twentieth-century history of Europe, Palestine, and Israel, as well as the attacks of October 7 and the ongoing catastrophe in Gaza, you would want to remind members of our community that their words have meaning. And yet, at a moment when an affiliate of the University has with apparent impunity stood in the yard and accused students of supporting terrorism, your delineation of the limits of acceptable expression on our campus is dangerously one-sided.
Similarly, the phrase "from the river to the sea, Palestine must be free" has a long and complicated history. Its interpretation deserves, and is receiving, sustained and ongoing inquiry and debate. Singling it out as necessarily implying removalism or even eliminationism – when over a million Palestinians have been forced from their homes and over ten thousand civilians, including four thousand children, have been slain in Gaza, actions which the Holocaust historian Omer Bartov suggests in the New York Times may amount to a “crime against humanity” being executed with “genocidal intent” – is imprudent as a matter of university policy and badly misjudged as an act of moral leadership.
We call on you to present a balanced commitment to the support of intellectual freedom at Harvard by taking the following steps:
Sincerely,
- Resisting calls to suspend and/or decertify the Palestine Solidarity Committee in retaliation for its public statements and advocacy, and resisting calls to set aside the University’s normal disciplinary procedures to prematurely sanction students and employees because of concerns raised about their political activity absent specific allegations of wrongdoing (and those already thusly sanctioned must be reinstated pending a procedurally sound investigation);
- Directing the President’s Advisory Group on Antisemitism to explain its definition of antisemitism to the University community, as requested at the FAS faculty meeting of November 7, before recommending any policies touching upon the freedom of thought and expression on our campus;
- Explicitly and specifically affirming the University’s commitment to the freedom of thought, inquiry, and expression in light of the extraordinary pressure being brought to bear upon critics of the State of Israel and advocates of the Palestinian people, and indicating that there can be no tolerance for a “Palestine exception” to free speech;
- Creating an advisory group on Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab racism (as suggested at the FAS faculty meeting of November 7).
- Walter Johnson, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Kirsten Weld, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Vijay Iyer, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Deidre Lynch, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Nikolas Bowie, Harvard Law School
- Diane Moore, Harvard Divinity School
- Namwali Serpell, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Harvard Kennedy School
- Sidney Chalhoub, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Christopher Hasty, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Salma Abu Ayyash, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Jesse B. Bump, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
- Ryan D. Doerfler, Harvard Law School
- Atalia Omer, Harvard Divinity School
- Bram Wispelwey, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School
- Sara Roy, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Lucien Castaing-Taylor, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Neel Mukherjee, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Margareta Matache, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
- Soham Patel, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- John Womack, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Musa Syeed, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Jacinda Tran, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Vincent Brown, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Adhy Kim, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Richard Thomas, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Lara Jirmanus, Harvard Medical School
- Altaf Saadi, Harvard Medical School
- Hibah Osman, Harvard Medical School
- Lisa Thompson, Harvard School of Dental Medicine
- Khameer Kidia, Harvard Medical School
- Mary T Bassett, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
- Sawsan Abdulrahim, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
- Cemal Kafadar, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Lauren Kaminsky, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Amy Hollywood, Harvard Divinity School
- Malak Rafla, Harvard Medical School
- Bassima Abdallah, Harvard Medical School
- Alejandra Caraballo, Harvard Law School
- Eleanor Craig, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Matylda Figlerowicz, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Adam Haber, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
- Tara K. Menon, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Arunabh Ghosh, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Joel Suarez, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Karameh Kuemmerle, Harvard Medical School
- Sam Marks, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Rosie Bsheer, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Nader Uthman, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Glenda Carpio, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Adaner Usmani, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Paulina Alberto, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Sarah Darghouth, Harvard Medical School
- Alisa Khan, Harvard Medical School
- Patricia Stoeck, Harvard Medical School
- Hajirah Saeex, Harvard Medical School
- Sherar Andalcio, Harvard Medical School
- Diana L. Eck, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Gordon Schiff, Harvard Medical School
- Mahmoud Abu Hazeem, Harvard Medical School
- Rania El Fekih, Harvard Medical School
- Hicham Skali, Harvard Medical School
- Ramona Dvorak, Harvard Medical School
- Kamal Itani, Harvard Medical School
- Haytham Kaafarani, Harvard Medical School
- Ousmane Kane, Harvard Divinity School
- David U. Himmelstein, Harvard Medical School
- Joycelyn Ronda, Harvard Medical School
- Christian Williams, Harvard Law School
- Steffie Woodhandler, Harvard Medical School
- Ju Yon Kim, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- M. Amin Arnaout, Harvard Medical School
- Autumn Allen, Harvard Graduate School of Education
- Avik Chatterjee, Harvard Medical School
- Farhana Sharmeen, Harvard Medical School
- Duncan Kennedy, Harvard Law School
- Aisha James, Harvard Medical School
- Corey Hardin, Harvard Medical School
- Caroline Light, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Karen Huang, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- George Aumoithe, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Michelle Morse, Harvard Medical School
- Sadeq Rahimi, Harvard Medical School
- Sugata Bose, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Lorenzo Bondioli, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Michael Bronski, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- David Kennedy, Harvard Law School
- Christina Villarreal, Harvard Graduate School of Education
- Hilary Rantisi, Harvard Divinity School
- Kassem Safa, Harvard Medical School
- Huma Farid, Harvard Medical School
- Bernhard Nickel, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Amanda Raffoul, Harvard Medical School
- Martha Ann Selby, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Marshall Ganz, Harvard Kennedy School
- Amir Mohareb, Harvard Medical School
- Eman Ansari, Harvard Medical School
- Mohamed Jarraya, Harvard Medical School
- Liz McKenna, Harvard Kennedy School
- Maggie Doherty, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Hussein Rashid, Harvard Divinity School
- Juliana Morris, Harvard Medical School
- Sandra Smith, Harvard Kennedy School
- Kaia Stern, Harvard Graduate School of Education
- Nicholas Bloom, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Theodore Weatherwax, Harvard Medical School
- Rita Hamad, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
- Emmet von Stackelberg, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Areej Hassan, Harvard Medical School
- David Showalter, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Amina Elbendary, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Pedja Stojicic, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
- Ryan Enos, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Raif S. Geha, Harvard Medical School
- Chance Bonar, Harvard Divinity School
- Nikhil Mathews, Harvard Medical School
- Hesham Hamoda, Harvard Medical School
- Talal Chatila, Harvard Medical School
- Jennifer Leaning, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
- Gretchen Brion-Meisels, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Nir Barkat, Israel’s minister of economy and industry, is warning American universities to crack down on antisemitism.
“Schools that prioritize taking money instead of doing what’s right and doing good are going to have a serious problem,” Barkat told CNN on Thursday.
Speaking from a Manhattan hotel, Barkat said his recent conversations with lawmakers during his trip to the United States suggest there will be legislative efforts to crack down on antisemitism on campus.
“You’re going to see many funders of Ivy League and other universities shy away from that behavior,” he said.
Barkat argued that schools that failed to fight antisemitism are “going to be paying a heavy price for that.”
Hostage?
How about building prison walls manned with snipers around Gaza?
That doesn't make them hostages of Israel?
How about the 17 year long, illegal blockade?
Meanwhile Here In Canada...
A List Of Some People In Canada Fired For Pro-Palestine Views
In recent weeks, many people in Canada have been investigated, suspended and/or fired by their employer for posting about Palestine.
ResourcesLabourInternational
by Davide Mastracci
November 10, 2023 ∙ 11 min read
Photo via Beyzaa Yurtkuran on Pexels.
In recent weeks, many people within Canada have been investigated, suspended and/or fired by their employer for expressing pro-Palestine views on social media and elsewhere. The Maple intends to document and share as many examples of such cases — where the person was disciplined for posts or comments made on or after October 7 — as possible.
To start, I’ve compiled particularly well known incidents that have already been made public. Based on preliminary tips we’ve received from human rights organizations and lawyers, we know the cases below are just a fraction of the overall incidents. For example, here’s how an open letter from legal organizations described the state of retaliation in that industry: “Lawyers are openly advocating on social media to blacklist law students and lawyers who have voiced support for Palestine; Lawyers are contacting the employers of lawyers and encouraging they be fired for their pro-Palestinian advocacy. Law firms (many of which issued unprecedented, political statements in support of Israel) are rescinding interview offers to students who sign open letters condemning Israel. Law schools are threatening those students with expulsion.”
However, non-public examples will take time and resources to research and share, so I’ve chosen to put this out for now while The Maple team continues our work to create a more comprehensive resource.
The incidents below are listed in alphabetical order, and each one contains the name of the person, their position, their employer, the status of the action against them and what happened. Confirmed incidents where the targeted people have remained anonymous are listed at the end.
If you know of any more incidents, and/or have been personally investigated, suspended, or fired by your employer due to expressing pro-Palestine views since October 7, please get in touch with us at opinion@readthemaple.com
This list will be updated going forward.
Zahraa Al-Akhrass
- Position: Online video journalist
- Employer: Global News
- Status: Fired
Here are a couple of the posts she cited as being brought up in her employer’s talks with her:
On October 29, Al-Akhrass posted about the incident on her Instagram page.
On November 1, she posted about it again, this time writing, “My termination of employment was with cause, meaning the company wasn’t legally required to pay me any severance, however, I was offered an amount of money to stay quiet and not go public with my story. This is only to further silence me and I find myself forced to use say it in public in defense of some accusations being circulated to discredit me. This pattern of oppression of Palestinian voices must stop.”
Al-Akhrass has since stated that she is filing a lawsuit against Global for firing her while she was on maternity leave.
Aarij Anwer
- Position: Muslim chaplain
- Employer: Western University
- Status: Fired
Anwer has since tweeted that he is “considering all legal options available.”
Sabreina Dahab
- Position: School board trustee
- Employer: Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board
- Status: Investigation
The statement didn’t specify the posts in question, but news reporting on the incident mentioned the following tweet from Dahab as an example:
Dahab’s statement adds, “As this investigation is underway, I have been advised by my legal counsel to not make any further comments as it relates to the alleged breach of the code of conduct. I will provide updates at the appropriate time.”
The school board has declined to comment on specifics of the investigation.
Javier Dávila
- Position: Student equity adviser
- Employer: Toronto District School Board
- Status: Suspended
Dávila sent several tweets earlier that day in support of students from the school that had walked out in protest demanding a ceasefire.
Here are a couple of them:
Dávila later noted on Twitter, “This is the 4th time I've been suspended by the TDSB for supporting Palestinian liberation. I’ve been investigated by their Human Rights Office, employee services, the Integrity Commissioner, the Ontario College of Teachers and Toronto Police and cleared each time. I won’t stop!”
The TDSB has yet to comment on the suspension.
Mostafa Ezzo
- Position: Pilot
- Employer: Air Canada
- Status: Fired
Sarah Jama
- Position: MPP
- Party: Ontario NDP
- Status: Removed from caucus and censured in the legislature
The controversy began on October 10 when Jama tweeted the following statement calling for a ceasefire:
The ONDP, which now supports a ceasefire, forced Jama to apologize the next day. Jama is now sitting as an independent MPP that isn’t able to speak in the legislature. She has announced that she will challenge the censure, and also threatened to sue Ontario Premier Doug Ford for allegedly defamatory comments he made about her.
Yara Jamal
- Position: Web writer and production assistant
- Employer: CTV Atlantic
- Status: Fired
In an October 26 Instagram post on the Free Palestine Halifax page, Jamal wrote, “Recently, a SaltWire journalist decided to take a quote out of context. I was asked if Jews can exist in a Free Palestine in which I had replied saying, ‘Jews can exist, Zionist ideology cannot.’ Elaborating on what I meant by Zionist ideology, I told the journalist I meant the state of Israel. Israel is labeled by many reputable human rights organizations as an apartheid state. When international and national world leaders call Palestinians ‘animals’ and Israeli politicians call for the extermination of Palestinians it is not publicized, but when a Palestinian says ‘a Free Palestine cannot exist with an apartheid, Zionist state’ it is publicized as anti-Semitic.”
Natalie Knight
- Position: English instructor
- Employer: Langara College
- Status: Placed on leave
The pro-Israeli Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver has called for Knight to be fired.
Shumail Mian
- Position: Constable
- Employer: Toronto Police Service
- Status: Under investigation
The Maple reached out to Toronto Police for an update on the investigation but has yet to hear back.
Mustafa Rahmanzadeh
- Position: Special constable
- Employer: Toronto Police Service
- Status: Under investigation
The Maple reached out to Toronto Police for an update on the investigation but has yet to hear back.
Nisam Siddiqui
- Position: Senior analyst
- Employer: Privy Council Office
- Status: Under investigation
The Maple reached out to the PCO for an update on the investigation. Their media spokesperson replied: “We disagree in the strongest possible terms with the remarks posted. These remarks do not reflect the values and expected behaviours of the public service. Adherence to the Values and Ethics Code of the Public Service is a condition of employment for all federal public servants. While, in accordance with the Privacy Act, we are unable to provide details in relation to the employee or the status of any investigation, a breach of the values or expected behaviours described in the Values and Ethics Code of the Public Service may result in disciplinary measures, up to and including termination of employment.”
Ben Thomson
- Position: Nephrologist
- Employer: Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital
- Status: Suspended
That day, Ben Thomson was given a one month suspension without pay. Thomson had attracted criticism from pro-Israel groups and anonymous callers who threatened the hospital with violence, and had his home address leaked, due to this post.
CBC has reported that the hospital denied Thomson’s posts were the reason for his suspension, without elaborating any further.
The hospital has added several updates to its original announcement since then, including that they were working with police to heighten security measures as a result of online threats and also “working with Dr. Thomson on his plan to return to work once it is deemed safe to do so.”
They eventually posted a statement from Thomson, which you can read in full:
“After innocent civilians in Israel and Gaza were killed, I posted to social media in an effort to correct what I believed was misinformation and to oppose language that was dehumanizing to Palestinians. That post was then retweeted and subsequently threats of violence were made against me and my colleagues at Mackenzie Health. I did not intend for these consequences when I posted on social media. I acknowledge the harm that was caused. These threats against me and Mackenzie Health are unacceptable. Patients, staff, physicians, and others need to feel safe when attending Mackenzie Health. I recognize that the circumstances were unprecedented and I acknowledge Mackenzie Health’s position that it acted with urgency in order to keep everyone, including myself, at Mackenzie Health safe. As a physician and humanitarian, I deplore all loss of life, including that of Palestinian and Israeli civilians. I deplore all forms of discrimination. I have always and continue to oppose all forms of racism including antisemitism and anti-Palestinian racism. I am committed to providing the best care to all my patients regardless of race, creed or religion. I have and will continue to provide care that upholds this commitment. I join with others who call for peace and safety for all. I am committed to working with Mackenzie Health to safely resume my work as a doctor and to caring for all of my patients at Mackenzie Health.”
Anonymous #1
- Position: Restaurant employees
- Employer: Moxies
- Status: Fired
On October 21, a pro-Palestine march in downtown Toronto passed a location of the Moxies restaurant chain. Four Moxies employees stood at the front steps of the restaurant and applauded as the march passed. Video footage of the incident was shared online.
Pro-Israel groups put pressure on the restaurant to fire the employees. On October 22, the restaurant’s Twitter account posted: “We sincerely apologize to anyone impacted negatively by these actions. We ask that our team behaves respectfully & demonstrate empathy & sensitivity & can assure you that a formal investigation has been launched & appropriate disciplinary actions will be taken for all involved.”
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Sending them to Gaza would be better but firing is also goodMeanwhile Here In Canada...
A List Of Some People In Canada Fired For Pro-Palestine Views
In recent weeks, many people in Canada have been investigated, suspended and/or fired by their employer for posting about Palestine.
ResourcesLabourInternational
by Davide Mastracci
November 10, 2023 ∙ 11 min read
Photo via Beyzaa Yurtkuran on Pexels.
In recent weeks, many people within Canada have been investigated, suspended and/or fired by their employer for expressing pro-Palestine views on social media and elsewhere. The Maple intends to document and share as many examples of such cases — where the person was disciplined for posts or comments made on or after October 7 — as possible.
To start, I’ve compiled particularly well known incidents that have already been made public. Based on preliminary tips we’ve received from human rights organizations and lawyers, we know the cases below are just a fraction of the overall incidents. For example, here’s how an open letter from legal organizations described the state of retaliation in that industry: “Lawyers are openly advocating on social media to blacklist law students and lawyers who have voiced support for Palestine; Lawyers are contacting the employers of lawyers and encouraging they be fired for their pro-Palestinian advocacy. Law firms (many of which issued unprecedented, political statements in support of Israel) are rescinding interview offers to students who sign open letters condemning Israel. Law schools are threatening those students with expulsion.”
However, non-public examples will take time and resources to research and share, so I’ve chosen to put this out for now while The Maple team continues our work to create a more comprehensive resource.
The incidents below are listed in alphabetical order, and each one contains the name of the person, their position, their employer, the status of the action against them and what happened. Confirmed incidents where the targeted people have remained anonymous are listed at the end.
If you know of any more incidents, and/or have been personally investigated, suspended, or fired by your employer due to expressing pro-Palestine views since October 7, please get in touch with us at opinion@readthemaple.com
This list will be updated going forward.
Zahraa Al-Akhrass
On October 17, Global News fired Zahraa Al-Akhrass for pro-Palestine posts she made on social media.
- Position: Online video journalist
- Employer: Global News
- Status: Fired
Here are a couple of the posts she cited as being brought up in her employer’s talks with her:
On October 29, Al-Akhrass posted about the incident on her Instagram page.
On November 1, she posted about it again, this time writing, “My termination of employment was with cause, meaning the company wasn’t legally required to pay me any severance, however, I was offered an amount of money to stay quiet and not go public with my story. This is only to further silence me and I find myself forced to use say it in public in defense of some accusations being circulated to discredit me. This pattern of oppression of Palestinian voices must stop.”
Al-Akhrass has since stated that she is filing a lawsuit against Global for firing her while she was on maternity leave.
Aarij Anwer
On October 26, Western University announced that Sh. Aarij Anwer would be removed from his volunteer position where he counselled and supported Muslim students because of a comment he made online. The comment is below:
- Position: Muslim chaplain
- Employer: Western University
- Status: Fired
Anwer has since tweeted that he is “considering all legal options available.”
Sabreina Dahab
On November 14, Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board trustee Sabreina Dahab released a statement noting, “At the end of October, the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board of Trustees launched an external investigation into my social media activity as it relates to my posts on Palestine, alleging that my advocacy is a breach of the Trustee Code of Conduct. I am concerned that this investigation is an attempt to silence me for my vocal condemnation of Israeli apartheid and reprimand me for my posts about protests that were calling for the end to the siege of Gaza.”
- Position: School board trustee
- Employer: Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board
- Status: Investigation
The statement didn’t specify the posts in question, but news reporting on the incident mentioned the following tweet from Dahab as an example:
Dahab’s statement adds, “As this investigation is underway, I have been advised by my legal counsel to not make any further comments as it relates to the alleged breach of the code of conduct. I will provide updates at the appropriate time.”
The school board has declined to comment on specifics of the investigation.
Javier Dávila
On November 13, Toronto District School Board (TDSB) student equity adviser Javier Dávila tweeted, “I was just suspended from my job at [TDSB] & put under investigation. This happened minutes after I called out [Centre For Israel and Jewish Affairs] for fabricating lies about students at [Marc Garneau Collegiate Institute] & for the TDSB not publicly standing up for its students who received threats. I refuse to be complicit.”
- Position: Student equity adviser
- Employer: Toronto District School Board
- Status: Suspended
Dávila sent several tweets earlier that day in support of students from the school that had walked out in protest demanding a ceasefire.
Here are a couple of them:
Dávila later noted on Twitter, “This is the 4th time I've been suspended by the TDSB for supporting Palestinian liberation. I’ve been investigated by their Human Rights Office, employee services, the Integrity Commissioner, the Ontario College of Teachers and Toronto Police and cleared each time. I won’t stop!”
The TDSB has yet to comment on the suspension.
Mostafa Ezzo
On October 10, Air Canada announced that pilot Mostafa Ezzo had been “taken out of service” the day before due to “unacceptable posts.” In the days prior, four screenshots of posts by Ezzo were spread online by pro-Israel groups. Those screenshots have been included below.
- Position: Pilot
- Employer: Air Canada
- Status: Fired
Sarah Jama
On October 23, the Ontario legislature voted to censure Sarah Jama, who was also kicked out of the Ontario NDP’s caucus that day.
- Position: MPP
- Party: Ontario NDP
- Status: Removed from caucus and censured in the legislature
The controversy began on October 10 when Jama tweeted the following statement calling for a ceasefire:
The ONDP, which now supports a ceasefire, forced Jama to apologize the next day. Jama is now sitting as an independent MPP that isn’t able to speak in the legislature. She has announced that she will challenge the censure, and also threatened to sue Ontario Premier Doug Ford for allegedly defamatory comments he made about her.
Yara Jamal
On October 26, a CTV News spokesperson told the Toronto Sun: “While we don’t comment on specific staffing matters we can confirm that Yara Jamal is no longer with CTV News.” On October 22, Jamal had attended a pro-Palestine protest in downtown Halifax. She was interviewed by a journalist from the SaltWire Network, and is quoted as follows: “‘Jews can continue to exist, the Zionist ideology cannot,’ said Yara Jamal of Free Palestine Halifax which organized the march. Pressed for whether by ‘Zionist ideology’ she meant Israel, she said, ‘The state, no, cannot exist.’” Several pro-Israel groups targeted Jamal after this.
- Position: Web writer and production assistant
- Employer: CTV Atlantic
- Status: Fired
In an October 26 Instagram post on the Free Palestine Halifax page, Jamal wrote, “Recently, a SaltWire journalist decided to take a quote out of context. I was asked if Jews can exist in a Free Palestine in which I had replied saying, ‘Jews can exist, Zionist ideology cannot.’ Elaborating on what I meant by Zionist ideology, I told the journalist I meant the state of Israel. Israel is labeled by many reputable human rights organizations as an apartheid state. When international and national world leaders call Palestinians ‘animals’ and Israeli politicians call for the extermination of Palestinians it is not publicized, but when a Palestinian says ‘a Free Palestine cannot exist with an apartheid, Zionist state’ it is publicized as anti-Semitic.”
Natalie Knight
On October 31, Langara College announced that they had placed Natalie Knight on leave and launched an investigation into her conduct. On October 28, Knight had given a speech at a pro-Palestine rally in Vancouver. The full, three-minute speech can be viewed here.
- Position: English instructor
- Employer: Langara College
- Status: Placed on leave
The pro-Israeli Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver has called for Knight to be fired.
Shumail Mian
On October 12, Toronto Police Service spokesperson Stephanie Sayer told press that their Professional Standards department was investigating Shumail Mian for a post on social media. The Toronto Sun described the post as showing “a cartoon of media cameras videoing an Israeli man wearing a blue shirt and Star of David chain while on the other side of the border in ‘Gaza’ there are severed bodies, decapitated heads, and pools of blood. Under all of it is the hashtag #freepalestine.”
- Position: Constable
- Employer: Toronto Police Service
- Status: Under investigation
The Maple reached out to Toronto Police for an update on the investigation but has yet to hear back.
Mustafa Rahmanzadeh
On October 12, Toronto Police Service spokesperson Stephanie Sayer told press that their Professional Standards department was investigating Mustafa Rahmanzadeh for a post on social media. A screenshot of the post is below:
- Position: Special constable
- Employer: Toronto Police Service
- Status: Under investigation
The Maple reached out to Toronto Police for an update on the investigation but has yet to hear back.
Nisam Siddiqui
On October 11, The Globe and Mail reported that the federal government’s Privy Council Office (PCO) was investigating Nisam Siddiqui for pro-Palestine posts on social media. The Globe claims that one of his posts “accused Canada and other Western countries of aiding Israel in ‘war crimes and crimes against humanity’ against Palestinians in Gaza.” Another post was described as reading: “They are acting as enablers to allow Israel to continue murdering Semitic Palestinians in an open-air prison in the Gaza Ghetto to maintain its brutal racist apartheid occupation.”
- Position: Senior analyst
- Employer: Privy Council Office
- Status: Under investigation
The Maple reached out to the PCO for an update on the investigation. Their media spokesperson replied: “We disagree in the strongest possible terms with the remarks posted. These remarks do not reflect the values and expected behaviours of the public service. Adherence to the Values and Ethics Code of the Public Service is a condition of employment for all federal public servants. While, in accordance with the Privacy Act, we are unable to provide details in relation to the employee or the status of any investigation, a breach of the values or expected behaviours described in the Values and Ethics Code of the Public Service may result in disciplinary measures, up to and including termination of employment.”
Ben Thomson
On October 13, Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital announced in a statement that it was “addressing social media posts from a few physicians and staff that do not reflect our views or values as an organization.”
- Position: Nephrologist
- Employer: Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital
- Status: Suspended
That day, Ben Thomson was given a one month suspension without pay. Thomson had attracted criticism from pro-Israel groups and anonymous callers who threatened the hospital with violence, and had his home address leaked, due to this post.
CBC has reported that the hospital denied Thomson’s posts were the reason for his suspension, without elaborating any further.
The hospital has added several updates to its original announcement since then, including that they were working with police to heighten security measures as a result of online threats and also “working with Dr. Thomson on his plan to return to work once it is deemed safe to do so.”
They eventually posted a statement from Thomson, which you can read in full:
“After innocent civilians in Israel and Gaza were killed, I posted to social media in an effort to correct what I believed was misinformation and to oppose language that was dehumanizing to Palestinians. That post was then retweeted and subsequently threats of violence were made against me and my colleagues at Mackenzie Health. I did not intend for these consequences when I posted on social media. I acknowledge the harm that was caused. These threats against me and Mackenzie Health are unacceptable. Patients, staff, physicians, and others need to feel safe when attending Mackenzie Health. I recognize that the circumstances were unprecedented and I acknowledge Mackenzie Health’s position that it acted with urgency in order to keep everyone, including myself, at Mackenzie Health safe. As a physician and humanitarian, I deplore all loss of life, including that of Palestinian and Israeli civilians. I deplore all forms of discrimination. I have always and continue to oppose all forms of racism including antisemitism and anti-Palestinian racism. I am committed to providing the best care to all my patients regardless of race, creed or religion. I have and will continue to provide care that upholds this commitment. I join with others who call for peace and safety for all. I am committed to working with Mackenzie Health to safely resume my work as a doctor and to caring for all of my patients at Mackenzie Health.”
Anonymous #1
On November 2, pro-Israel group B’nai Brith posted: “Following further discussions with the restaurant, we are happy to report that the employees in question ‘are no longer working at Moxies.’”
- Position: Restaurant employees
- Employer: Moxies
- Status: Fired
On October 21, a pro-Palestine march in downtown Toronto passed a location of the Moxies restaurant chain. Four Moxies employees stood at the front steps of the restaurant and applauded as the march passed. Video footage of the incident was shared online.
Pro-Israel groups put pressure on the restaurant to fire the employees. On October 22, the restaurant’s Twitter account posted: “We sincerely apologize to anyone impacted negatively by these actions. We ask that our team behaves respectfully & demonstrate empathy & sensitivity & can assure you that a formal investigation has been launched & appropriate disciplinary actions will be taken for all involved.”
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Western Leaders Covering Up The Carnage With Two State LegerdemainMeanwhile Here In Canada...
A List Of Some People In Canada Fired For Pro-Palestine Views
In recent weeks, many people in Canada have been investigated, suspended and/or fired by their employer for posting about Palestine.
ResourcesLabourInternational
by Davide Mastracci
November 10, 2023 ∙ 11 min read
Photo via Beyzaa Yurtkuran on Pexels.
In recent weeks, many people within Canada have been investigated, suspended and/or fired by their employer for expressing pro-Palestine views on social media and elsewhere. The Maple intends to document and share as many examples of such cases — where the person was disciplined for posts or comments made on or after October 7 — as possible.
To start, I’ve compiled particularly well known incidents that have already been made public. Based on preliminary tips we’ve received from human rights organizations and lawyers, we know the cases below are just a fraction of the overall incidents. For example, here’s how an open letter from legal organizations described the state of retaliation in that industry: “Lawyers are openly advocating on social media to blacklist law students and lawyers who have voiced support for Palestine; Lawyers are contacting the employers of lawyers and encouraging they be fired for their pro-Palestinian advocacy. Law firms (many of which issued unprecedented, political statements in support of Israel) are rescinding interview offers to students who sign open letters condemning Israel. Law schools are threatening those students with expulsion.”
However, non-public examples will take time and resources to research and share, so I’ve chosen to put this out for now while The Maple team continues our work to create a more comprehensive resource.
The incidents below are listed in alphabetical order, and each one contains the name of the person, their position, their employer, the status of the action against them and what happened. Confirmed incidents where the targeted people have remained anonymous are listed at the end.
If you know of any more incidents, and/or have been personally investigated, suspended, or fired by your employer due to expressing pro-Palestine views since October 7, please get in touch with us at opinion@readthemaple.com
This list will be updated going forward.
Zahraa Al-Akhrass
On October 17, Global News fired Zahraa Al-Akhrass for pro-Palestine posts she made on social media.
- Position: Online video journalist
- Employer: Global News
- Status: Fired
Here are a couple of the posts she cited as being brought up in her employer’s talks with her:
On October 29, Al-Akhrass posted about the incident on her Instagram page.
On November 1, she posted about it again, this time writing, “My termination of employment was with cause, meaning the company wasn’t legally required to pay me any severance, however, I was offered an amount of money to stay quiet and not go public with my story. This is only to further silence me and I find myself forced to use say it in public in defense of some accusations being circulated to discredit me. This pattern of oppression of Palestinian voices must stop.”
Al-Akhrass has since stated that she is filing a lawsuit against Global for firing her while she was on maternity leave.
Aarij Anwer
On October 26, Western University announced that Sh. Aarij Anwer would be removed from his volunteer position where he counselled and supported Muslim students because of a comment he made online. The comment is below:
- Position: Muslim chaplain
- Employer: Western University
- Status: Fired
Anwer has since tweeted that he is “considering all legal options available.”
Sabreina Dahab
On November 14, Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board trustee Sabreina Dahab released a statement noting, “At the end of October, the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board of Trustees launched an external investigation into my social media activity as it relates to my posts on Palestine, alleging that my advocacy is a breach of the Trustee Code of Conduct. I am concerned that this investigation is an attempt to silence me for my vocal condemnation of Israeli apartheid and reprimand me for my posts about protests that were calling for the end to the siege of Gaza.”
- Position: School board trustee
- Employer: Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board
- Status: Investigation
The statement didn’t specify the posts in question, but news reporting on the incident mentioned the following tweet from Dahab as an example:
Dahab’s statement adds, “As this investigation is underway, I have been advised by my legal counsel to not make any further comments as it relates to the alleged breach of the code of conduct. I will provide updates at the appropriate time.”
The school board has declined to comment on specifics of the investigation.
Javier Dávila
On November 13, Toronto District School Board (TDSB) student equity adviser Javier Dávila tweeted, “I was just suspended from my job at [TDSB] & put under investigation. This happened minutes after I called out [Centre For Israel and Jewish Affairs] for fabricating lies about students at [Marc Garneau Collegiate Institute] & for the TDSB not publicly standing up for its students who received threats. I refuse to be complicit.”
- Position: Student equity adviser
- Employer: Toronto District School Board
- Status: Suspended
Dávila sent several tweets earlier that day in support of students from the school that had walked out in protest demanding a ceasefire.
Here are a couple of them:
Dávila later noted on Twitter, “This is the 4th time I've been suspended by the TDSB for supporting Palestinian liberation. I’ve been investigated by their Human Rights Office, employee services, the Integrity Commissioner, the Ontario College of Teachers and Toronto Police and cleared each time. I won’t stop!”
The TDSB has yet to comment on the suspension.
Mostafa Ezzo
On October 10, Air Canada announced that pilot Mostafa Ezzo had been “taken out of service” the day before due to “unacceptable posts.” In the days prior, four screenshots of posts by Ezzo were spread online by pro-Israel groups. Those screenshots have been included below.
- Position: Pilot
- Employer: Air Canada
- Status: Fired
Sarah Jama
On October 23, the Ontario legislature voted to censure Sarah Jama, who was also kicked out of the Ontario NDP’s caucus that day.
- Position: MPP
- Party: Ontario NDP
- Status: Removed from caucus and censured in the legislature
The controversy began on October 10 when Jama tweeted the following statement calling for a ceasefire:
The ONDP, which now supports a ceasefire, forced Jama to apologize the next day. Jama is now sitting as an independent MPP that isn’t able to speak in the legislature. She has announced that she will challenge the censure, and also threatened to sue Ontario Premier Doug Ford for allegedly defamatory comments he made about her.
Yara Jamal
On October 26, a CTV News spokesperson told the Toronto Sun: “While we don’t comment on specific staffing matters we can confirm that Yara Jamal is no longer with CTV News.” On October 22, Jamal had attended a pro-Palestine protest in downtown Halifax. She was interviewed by a journalist from the SaltWire Network, and is quoted as follows: “‘Jews can continue to exist, the Zionist ideology cannot,’ said Yara Jamal of Free Palestine Halifax which organized the march. Pressed for whether by ‘Zionist ideology’ she meant Israel, she said, ‘The state, no, cannot exist.’” Several pro-Israel groups targeted Jamal after this.
- Position: Web writer and production assistant
- Employer: CTV Atlantic
- Status: Fired
In an October 26 Instagram post on the Free Palestine Halifax page, Jamal wrote, “Recently, a SaltWire journalist decided to take a quote out of context. I was asked if Jews can exist in a Free Palestine in which I had replied saying, ‘Jews can exist, Zionist ideology cannot.’ Elaborating on what I meant by Zionist ideology, I told the journalist I meant the state of Israel. Israel is labeled by many reputable human rights organizations as an apartheid state. When international and national world leaders call Palestinians ‘animals’ and Israeli politicians call for the extermination of Palestinians it is not publicized, but when a Palestinian says ‘a Free Palestine cannot exist with an apartheid, Zionist state’ it is publicized as anti-Semitic.”
Natalie Knight
On October 31, Langara College announced that they had placed Natalie Knight on leave and launched an investigation into her conduct. On October 28, Knight had given a speech at a pro-Palestine rally in Vancouver. The full, three-minute speech can be viewed here.
- Position: English instructor
- Employer: Langara College
- Status: Placed on leave
The pro-Israeli Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver has called for Knight to be fired.
Shumail Mian
On October 12, Toronto Police Service spokesperson Stephanie Sayer told press that their Professional Standards department was investigating Shumail Mian for a post on social media. The Toronto Sun described the post as showing “a cartoon of media cameras videoing an Israeli man wearing a blue shirt and Star of David chain while on the other side of the border in ‘Gaza’ there are severed bodies, decapitated heads, and pools of blood. Under all of it is the hashtag #freepalestine.”
- Position: Constable
- Employer: Toronto Police Service
- Status: Under investigation
The Maple reached out to Toronto Police for an update on the investigation but has yet to hear back.
Mustafa Rahmanzadeh
On October 12, Toronto Police Service spokesperson Stephanie Sayer told press that their Professional Standards department was investigating Mustafa Rahmanzadeh for a post on social media. A screenshot of the post is below:
- Position: Special constable
- Employer: Toronto Police Service
- Status: Under investigation
The Maple reached out to Toronto Police for an update on the investigation but has yet to hear back.
Nisam Siddiqui
On October 11, The Globe and Mail reported that the federal government’s Privy Council Office (PCO) was investigating Nisam Siddiqui for pro-Palestine posts on social media. The Globe claims that one of his posts “accused Canada and other Western countries of aiding Israel in ‘war crimes and crimes against humanity’ against Palestinians in Gaza.” Another post was described as reading: “They are acting as enablers to allow Israel to continue murdering Semitic Palestinians in an open-air prison in the Gaza Ghetto to maintain its brutal racist apartheid occupation.”
- Position: Senior analyst
- Employer: Privy Council Office
- Status: Under investigation
The Maple reached out to the PCO for an update on the investigation. Their media spokesperson replied: “We disagree in the strongest possible terms with the remarks posted. These remarks do not reflect the values and expected behaviours of the public service. Adherence to the Values and Ethics Code of the Public Service is a condition of employment for all federal public servants. While, in accordance with the Privacy Act, we are unable to provide details in relation to the employee or the status of any investigation, a breach of the values or expected behaviours described in the Values and Ethics Code of the Public Service may result in disciplinary measures, up to and including termination of employment.”
Ben Thomson
On October 13, Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital announced in a statement that it was “addressing social media posts from a few physicians and staff that do not reflect our views or values as an organization.”
- Position: Nephrologist
- Employer: Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital
- Status: Suspended
That day, Ben Thomson was given a one month suspension without pay. Thomson had attracted criticism from pro-Israel groups and anonymous callers who threatened the hospital with violence, and had his home address leaked, due to this post.
CBC has reported that the hospital denied Thomson’s posts were the reason for his suspension, without elaborating any further.
The hospital has added several updates to its original announcement since then, including that they were working with police to heighten security measures as a result of online threats and also “working with Dr. Thomson on his plan to return to work once it is deemed safe to do so.”
They eventually posted a statement from Thomson, which you can read in full:
“After innocent civilians in Israel and Gaza were killed, I posted to social media in an effort to correct what I believed was misinformation and to oppose language that was dehumanizing to Palestinians. That post was then retweeted and subsequently threats of violence were made against me and my colleagues at Mackenzie Health. I did not intend for these consequences when I posted on social media. I acknowledge the harm that was caused. These threats against me and Mackenzie Health are unacceptable. Patients, staff, physicians, and others need to feel safe when attending Mackenzie Health. I recognize that the circumstances were unprecedented and I acknowledge Mackenzie Health’s position that it acted with urgency in order to keep everyone, including myself, at Mackenzie Health safe. As a physician and humanitarian, I deplore all loss of life, including that of Palestinian and Israeli civilians. I deplore all forms of discrimination. I have always and continue to oppose all forms of racism including antisemitism and anti-Palestinian racism. I am committed to providing the best care to all my patients regardless of race, creed or religion. I have and will continue to provide care that upholds this commitment. I join with others who call for peace and safety for all. I am committed to working with Mackenzie Health to safely resume my work as a doctor and to caring for all of my patients at Mackenzie Health.”
Anonymous #1
On November 2, pro-Israel group B’nai Brith posted: “Following further discussions with the restaurant, we are happy to report that the employees in question ‘are no longer working at Moxies.’”
- Position: Restaurant employees
- Employer: Moxies
- Status: Fired
On October 21, a pro-Palestine march in downtown Toronto passed a location of the Moxies restaurant chain. Four Moxies employees stood at the front steps of the restaurant and applauded as the march passed. Video footage of the incident was shared online.
Pro-Israel groups put pressure on the restaurant to fire the employees. On October 22, the restaurant’s Twitter account posted: “We sincerely apologize to anyone impacted negatively by these actions. We ask that our team behaves respectfully & demonstrate empathy & sensitivity & can assure you that a formal investigation has been launched & appropriate disciplinary actions will be taken for all involved.”
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Israel-Palestine war: Don’t be fooled. Biden is fully signed up to genocide in Gaza
2 Votes
The White House needs a cover story to obscure its complicity. In desperation, it is once again resurrecting the long-dead two-state solution
By Jonathan Cook
US President Joe Biden disembarks Air Force One on 9 November 2023 (AFP)
The White House faces a dilemma. It has the power to stop the death and destruction in Gaza in its tracks, at any time of its choosing. But it chooses not to.
The US is determined to back its client state to the hilt, giving Israel licence to wreck the tiny coastal enclave, seemingly whatever the cost in Palestinian lives.
But the optics – and that is all that concerns Washington – are disastrous.
TV images have shown hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fleeing their destroyed homes, on a scale unseen since Israel’s earlier mass ethnic cleansing operations of 1948 and 1967.
Even the western media is struggling to obscure the veritable mountain of crushed and bleeding bodies in Gaza. The known death toll has now surpassed 11,000, with thousands more buried under rubble. Those who survive face a genocidal policy, starving them of food, water and power.
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By the weekend, Israel’s declared war on Hamas had shifted into an open war on Gaza’s hospitals. Medicins San Frontieres reported that al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City had been bombed repeatedly and its power cut off, with horrific scenes of premature babies dying after their incubators had stopped functioning. Staff who tried to evacuate, as Israel had ordered them to, were shot at. Similar scenes unfolded at al-Rantisi hospital.
Western publics are growing increasingly incensed. Protest marches have attracted numbers not seen since the mass demonstrations against the Iraq war 20 years ago.
Western allies are finding it harder to obscure and justify their complicity in what are indisputable Israeli crimes against humanity. French President Emmanuel Macron broke ranks at the weekend. His message was summed up bluntly by the BBC: “Macron calls on Israel to stop killing Gaza’s women and babies.”
In private, US allies in the Middle East are pleading with the US to use its leverage to restrain Israel.
Meanwhile, Washington is only too aware of how quickly Israel’s regional opponents could get dragged in, dangerously expanding and escalating the conflict.
Its immediate response has been desperate, and preposterous, stop-gaps to ease the criticism, including from 500 administration staff who submitted a letter to Biden on Tuesday protesting the White House’s blanket support for Israel.
Those measures have included the president calling for “less intrusive action” from Israel towards the hospitals, shortly before Israeli forces were reported storming al-Shifa, and rumours that Tony Blair, the former British prime minister who joined the US attack on Iraq in 2003 in violation of international law, might serve as the West’s “humanitarian coordinator” in Gaza.
Never-ending occupation
But what the Biden administration really needs is a cover story to justify the fact that it is continuing to supply the weapons and funding needed by Israel to carry out its crimes in broad daylight.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken set out his stall last week at the G7 summit. The goal is to shift the focus away from Israel’s genocidal policies in Gaza, and Washington’s backing for them, to a purely theoretical discussion about what might happen after the fighting ends.
Outlining his post-war “vision” for Gaza, Blinken said: “It’s also clear that Israel cannot occupy Gaza. Now, the reality is that there may be a need for some transition period at the end of the conflict… We don’t see a reoccupation and what I’ve heard from Israeli leaders is that they have no intent to reoccupy Gaza.”
James Cleverley, Britain’s former foreign secretary, echoed his US counterpart, insisting power would in Gaza be handed to “a peace-loving Palestinian leadership”.
Both appear to favour the Palestinian Authority’s Mahmoud Abbas taking over Gaza – or what’s left of it.
This bad-faith manoeuvre is off the charts, even by the pair’s usual mendacious standards. Both the US and Britain want us to believe, at least while Palestinians are being massacred day after day, that they are serious about reviving the long-cold cadaver of the two-state solution.
The layers of deceit are so plentiful they need to be peeled away one by one.
The first glaring deception is Washington’s insistence that Israel avoid “reoccupying” Gaza. Blinken wants us to believe that the strip’s occupation ended long ago, when Israel dismantled its Jewish colonies in 2005 and pulled out the soldiers who protected the settlers.
But if Gaza was not actually occupied before Israel’s current ground invasion, how does Washington explain the Israeli blockade of the tiny enclave for the past 16 years? How did Israel manage to seal off Gaza’s land borders, block access to Gaza’s territorial waters, and patrol Gaza’s skies 24/7?
The reality is that Gaza has not experienced a day free of Israeli occupation since 1967. All that Israel did 18 years ago when it pulled out its Jewish settlers, was to run the occupation more remotely, exploiting new developments in weapons and surveillance technologies.
Israel developed and refined a very sophisticated, arm’s length occupation, using Israeli teenagers with joysticks at distant sites to play God with the lives of 2.3 million imprisoned Palestinians.
Israel is not in danger of “reoccupying” Gaza. It never stopped occupying it.
Make-believe confrontation
Another deceit is the impression Blinken is intentionally creating that the US is preparing for a confrontation with Israel over Gaza’s future.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made clear he is in no mood to sit down with Palestinian leaders, even of the “peace-loving” kind. At the weekend, he once again declared that Israel would take “security control” of the enclave as soon as Hamas was gone.
“There will be no Hamas,” he told Israelis on Saturday evening. “There will be no civilian authority that educates their children to hate Israel, to kill Israelis, to destroy the state of Israel.”
He added that Israeli troops would be able to “go in [to Gaza] whenever we want in order to kill terrorists”.
Certainly, Israeli military commanders seem to be taking this message to heart, vowing that they are back in Gaza for good.
But the suggestion that Israel and Washington are not on the same page is pure trickery. The “row” is entirely confected, designed to make it look like the Biden administration, in pushing for negotiations, is taking the Palestinians’ side against Israel. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The pretence is a boon to both sides. The US wants to look like one day – after all Gaza’s homes are destroyed and its people ethnically cleansed – it will drag Netanyahu to the negotiating table kicking and screaming.
An embattled Netanyahu, meanwhile, is able to score popularity points with the Israeli right by posturing defiantly against the Biden administration.
It is pure theatre. The confrontation will never materialise. The US “vision” is nothing more than make-believe.
The no-state solution
The truth is that Washington formally abandoned the so-called two-state solution years ago, aware that Israel would never allow even the most circumscribed of Palestinian states.
Over the past three decades, Israel has gone from the pretence – maintained during the Oslo process – that it might one day concede a sham, demilitarised Palestinian state, cut off from the rest of the Middle East, to outright rejection of Palestinian statehood on any terms at all.
Back in July, before Hamas’ 7 October attack, Netanyahu was widely reported to have told a closed Israeli parliamentary meeting that Palestinian hopes of a sovereign state “must be eliminated”.
Will the same Israel that refused to countenance a state under Abbas, the Palestinian leader who called security coordination with Israel “sacred”, really be ready to hand over the keys to the kingdom after its latest rampage?
Remember, it was Netanyahu who explained to his ruling Likud party in 2019 that “bolstering Hamas and transferring money to Hamas” were the best way for Israel to “thwart the establishment of a Palestinian state”.
This was not some rogue position. It was shared across the military and security establishments.
The strategy was achieved through Israeli policies designed to permanently split, physically and politically, the two main territorial components of any future Palestinian state: the West Bank and Gaza.
Movement between the two was made all but impossible, and Israel cultivated different, antagonistic local leaderships for each territory so neither could claim to represent the Palestinian people.
At the July parliamentary meeting, Netanyahu also insisted it was a vital Israeli interest that the PA be propped up in the West Bank.
At the same time, the necessary capital of a Palestinian state, Jerusalem, has been physically sealed off from both territories, and stripped of any Palestinian political representation.
As the Biden administration knows only too well, Israel would never allow a “moderate” Palestinian leadership to become established in Gaza, uniting it with the West Bank and strengthening the case for a sovereign Palestinian state.
But talk of a revived two-state solution does serve as a useful distraction from the actual solution Israel is implementing in plain view.
Israeli actions tell that story. The bombing into rubble not only of Gaza’s homes but of the civilian infrastructure – hospitals, schools, United Nations compounds, bakeries, mosques and churches – needed to support one of the most overcrowded places on earth.
The population in Gaza’s north has been forcibly dislocated to create an even smaller, even more overcrowded holding pen in southern Gaza, ensuring the enclave is “a place where no human being can exist”, as Giora Eiland, a former Israeli national security adviser, phrased it.
The goal is transparent: to expel Gaza’s population into the neighbouring Egyptian territory of Sinai. And given Israel’s previous form, the only reasonable conclusion to draw is that Gaza’s refugee families – some of them about to be exiled by Israel for a second or third time – will never be allowed to return to the ruins.
The Biden administration can pretend to be resurrecting a non-existent two-state solution. But the reality is that Israel has had just such an expulsion plan – called the Greater Gaza Plan – on the drawing board for decades.
According to reports, Washington has been signed up to the creation of a Palestinian enclave in Sinai since at least 2007.
No eradicating Hamas
But perhaps the most fraudulent of the White House deceptions is the assumption that Hamas – and by extension, all Palestinian resistance – can be eradicated from Gaza.
Palestinian fighters are not some alien force that invaded the enclave. They are not occupiers, even though that is the way they are portrayed by every western government and media outlet.
They emerged organically out of a population that has endured decades of military abuse and oppression from Israel. Hamas is the legacy of that suffering.
Israel’s genocidal policies – unless it intends to wipe out every Palestinian in Gaza – will not moderate that impulse for resistance. Israel will simply inflame more anger and resentment, and a stronger motive for vengeance.
Even were Hamas to be wiped out, another, probably more desperate and vicious resistance group would surface to take its place.
Most of the Palestinian children now being bombed and terrorised, made homeless along with their families, and witnessing loved ones being killed, will not grow up over the next few years to become young peace ambassadors.
Their birthright will be the gun and the rocket. Their ambition will be to avenge their families and restore their honour.
Israel and the US know all this, too. History is crammed full of such lessons taught to greedy, arrogant colonisers and occupiers.
But their goal, whatever they claim, is not a solution or a resolution. It is permanent war. It is perpetuating the “cycle of violence”. It is greasing the tank treads of the West’s profitable war machine by spawning the very enemies that western publics are told they need protecting from.
Whether Palestinians are returned to the Stone Age in Gaza, as Israeli military commanders have long desired, or expelled to live in refugee camps in Sinai, they will not accept a fate in which they are treated as “human animals”.
Their fight will go on. And Israel and Washington will have to keep inventing new, ever more fanciful stories to try to persuade us that the West’s hands are clean.
Jonathan Cook is the author of three books on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and a winner of the Martha Gellhorn Special Prize for Journalism. His website and blog can be found at http://www.jonathan-cook.net Via Middle East Eye
