06) SHAME ON PARLIAMENTARY PARTIES

 

People's Voice Editorial

 

            Rarely has the death of a notorious thug brought such a sickening response from Canada's parliamentary leaders. The Jan. 11 death of Ariel Sharon underscores the sad fact that elected politicians in Canada express nothing but complete support for the policies of the Israeli state.

 

            This so-called "man of peace" bears responsibility for many crimes against the Palestinian and Lebanese people. He personally led brutal massacres in the West Bank, oversaw the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian lands, allowed the slaughter of civilians in the Sabra and Shatilla refugee camps, and much more. As Israeli war resister Miko Peled wrote: "Surely the most absurd thing ever said about Sharon, is that he was a man of peace (who) `gave' Gaza back to the Palestinians." The truth is that this cynical move allowed Sharon to close Gaza like a prison and further suffocate its people.

 

            Not surprisingly, the viciously anti-Palestinian Stephen Harper mourned Sharon as "one of the architects of modern day Israel and one of the nation's staunchest defenders." No other western government expresses such slavish backing for Zionist doctrines, and for the crimes committed by Israeli leaders.

 

            However, the "opposition parties" also praised the butcher of Sabra and Shatilla. The NDP (which remained silent on the death of President Hugo Chavez) called Sharon "a significant figure in world history and an influential leader who dedicated his life to serving his country." And Liberal leader Justin Trudeau expressed "great sadness" at the death of a man who supposedly "recognised that military solutions were insufficient to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

 

            For our part, we condemn the crimes of Ariel Sharon, and on this occasion we extend our deepest condolences to all his Palestinian and Lebanese victims.

 

(The above article is from the January 16-31, 2014, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading socialist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)