Peter Larson, Chair of the Ottawa Forum on Israel/Palestine, and Reuven Shultz, member of Canadian Friends of Peace Now, were invited by the Ottawa-based Group of 78, to share visions for peace in the middle east. The discussion revealed many points of agreement, but also some fundamental differences. Watch the video of the event.…
The Group of 78 defines itself as “an informal association of Canadians seeking to promote global priorities for peace and disarmament, equitable and sustainable development, and a strong and revitalized United Nations system”.
On January 13th, G78 invited representatives of two organizations – one a self-described “liberal zionist’ organization and the other a “non-zionist” one to share their visions for peace in the middle east.
In the discussion, Reuven Schultz, board member of Canadian Friends of Peace Now (CFPN) and Peter Larson, Chair of Ottawa Forum on Israel/Palestine (OFIP) found that they had agreement on a broad range of issues, including the necessity of ending the Israeli occupation of lands taken in 1967, an end to the settler activity in the West Bank, the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and a denunciation of the radical right wing government of Benjamin Netanyahu.
Despite their agreement on these important points, when it came to prescriptions for the future, the two offered different perspectives.
Reuven Schultz focussed on the need for better leadership in Israel, and for Canadian political parties, in particular the Liberals and the NDP to join forces to pressure the Canadian government to actively support a two state solution. The CFPN vision is to support the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza, living side by side with Israel.
See the complete recording of the 1 hour event by clicking below.
Peter Larson, on the other hand argued no territorial division of historic Palestine would be sufficient to bring peace to the region.
He claimed that Israel’s problems did not begin in 1967, but in 1948. “The very creation of a Jewish state required the ethnic cleansing of most of the Palestinians and the growth of an apartheid system to keep Jews in the majority,” he said.
“The genocide unfolding in Gaza today is the inevitable direct consequence of the 1948 UN decision to carve out a state for European Jews in Mandate Palestine over the objections of the locals. Given their history”, he continued. “Jews need and deserve protection. But I don’t think that carving a Jewish State out of Palestine, and expelling the people who lived there, was a good way to do it.”
A long-term peace in Israel/Palestine can only come about through a process of Truth and Reconciliation starting with the recognition that the expulsion of Palestinians to create a state for European Jews was unfair to the Palestinians and finding a way forward based on equality.
Simply drawing lines in the sand will not be enough to bring about peace and stability in the region. It requires something much more fundamental – eliminating inequality and oppression.
A complete copy of Peter Larson’s remarks can be found HERE.
Canada Talks Israel Palestine (CTIP) is the weekly newsletter of Peter Larson, Chair of the Ottawa Forum on Israel/Palestine (OFIP). It aims to promote a serious discussion in Canada about Canada’s response to the complicated and emotional Israel/Palestine issue with a focus on the truth, clear analysis and human rights for all. Readers with different points of view are invited to make comment.
Want to learn more about us? Go to Ottawa Forum on Israel/Palestine.ca
Canada Talks Israel/Palestine 
Liberal Zionism takes me back to Tom Lehrer, one of the best comedians ever. In his song “Send in The Marines, of course they were ultra humane (like the IDF) and if they had to use force, they would kill them off by peaceful means. So for Bob Rae, Liberal Zionism is OK with a liberal genocide. If I was a believer I rather doubt that would fly on judgment day.
Bob Pflug
Hey Bob,
Thanks for your comment. I think you are too hard on Bob Rae. He is a liberal zionist, of course, but I am pretty sure he is upset by the genocide in Gaza. As are a lot of Canadian liberal zionists. I don’t think we should push them all into the same camp. We should try to separate the better ones off from the worse ones. iMHO
Read your personal trajectory. I’m pretty sure that GL talk was Ottawa U and I was there around 2005. Could be wrong. And Germany where we are in contact with family of my gg grandfather? To Jews, you will be a Zionist and you will like it. AntiZionism is a crime. Germany is racist to the hilt, my relatives included, CDU not Alt. Support for Israel (stat’s raison) was stated by Merkle. The reparations are paid to Israel. Their Namibia genocide issue is still unresolved. We Germans are a mean lot and getting worse. Remember, Trump is two generations more German than i am. The next worse place to be AZ is UK.
My whole outlook has been turned right side up. I see NATO and Ukraine from a totally different perspective all due to the fringe: Jeffrey Sachs, Mearsheimer, Chomsky, David N Gibbs and all the Jewish guys you have read. The whole family is heavily involved.
Bob Pflug