The Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement (CIFTA) came into effect over 25 years ago, on January 1, 1997. Since then Canadian exports to Israel have doubled – but so have our exports to other countries. Exports to Israel still amount to a tiny portion of all Canadian exports. So why is CIJA pressing the Canadian government to expand a trade agreement with a country credibly accused of genocide?
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) has just put out a call for Canada to “rekindle” our free trade agreement with Israel, claiming that doing so would be of great benefit to Canada. “Thirty years ago, Canada made a strategic decision to look beyond geography and politics. It did so because it believed the partnership with Israel would advance Canada’s interests.
That logic deserves a fresh look”, argues CIJA.
Canada has 14 free trade agreements with other countries. But the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement (CIFTA) is peculiar because it is not actually about “trade” at all. It is about political support for Israel.
Compare CIFTA with the USMCA, the US Mexico Canada trade agreement. USMC) IS definitely about trade. It sets the rules for the over $1.3 TRILLION dollars in trade in goods, services and merchandise. It really is a trade agreement with real world consequences for hundreds of thousands of Canadians.
In comparison, total two way Canada-Israeli trade amounts is tiny, – less than 0.1% of our export trade with the US!! By noon on the first of January each year, Canada has traded more with the USA than it will with Israel for the rest of the year. Compared to total trading figures, trade with Israel is a mere rounding error.
The truth is that CIFTA is not a “trade” agreement but a “political“ agreement, a statement of political support for the Zionist project aimed at helping “normalize” Israel as a country.
“Canada and Israel have been friends and allies since the re-establishment of the modern state of Israel. The Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement is another exciting milestone in the unique relationship between the two liberal democracies,” exulted CIJA chair Joel Reitman,
Has CIFTA had any impact on Canada-Israel trade? It’s hard to say. Since the signing of the first CIFTA in 1997, Canada-Israel trade has grown, but at a rate close to the rate of growth of the Canadian international trade with most other countries.
What about the BDS campaign, launched in 2005? For the same reason, the direct economic impact of the BDS campaign on Canada-Israel trade is not clear either. But the BDS campaign has had an impact on political support for Israel among the Canadian population. The BDS campaign has had a huge impact in raising consciousness among Canadians about Israel and its treatment of the Palestinians.
Successive Israeli governments are increasingly concerned about Israel’s loss of “legitimacy”. (This is reflected in increasing discussion about Israel’s “right to exist”.) The Reut Institute and Ministry of Strategic Affairs argued BDS is challenging Israel’s existence as a Jewish state by framing Israel as a colonial project practicing apartheid state, eroding its diplomatic support, pushing for international courts, UN resolutions, ICC cases and changing the narrative on campuses where future US/EU leaders are formed. Israel has launched several attacks against the movement.
CIJA pitches the “rekindling” of the trade relationship with Israel as a way to improve the Canadian economy through more external trade. But CIJA’s real objective is promoting Israel’s image in the Canadian business community at a time when it is increasingly seen as a “pariah” state.
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