Opinion

‘They do not value Palestinian lives': Palestinian-Canadians, Jewish group call out 'same old bias' in Middle East conflict

Some Canadians question why Canada's response to Hamas' acts doesn't seem to include sympathy for Palestinians

Imani Walker
·Writer
Updated Tue, October 17, 2023 

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau makes remarks during a pro-Israel rally at the Soloway Jewish Community Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada October 9, 2023. REUTERS/Blair Gable (Blair Gable / reuters)

Amal Zeidan’s family member was a Palestinian paramedic who was murdered trying to save lives amid war. Zeidan is one of many Canadians reacting to the Canadian government's statements about the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict and latest news from the region.

“The views of Canadian leaders and politicians are completely biased towards support for Israel. Israel has been bombing Gaza with so many civilians – (even) right now. They are targeting ambulances. My relative was just murdered trying to save Palestinian lives as a paramedic,” Amal Zeidan told Yahoo News Canada.

On October 7, Hamas, the Islamist political and military organization that governs the Gaza Strip of Palestinian territories, launched an attack on Israel with the goal of infiltrating dividing borders.

The action resulted in hundreds of deaths for both Israel and Palestine. While some Israeli supporters are labeling the violence a “terrorist attack”, some of the Palestinian diaspora is calling the violence a response to the long-standing Israeli occupation of Palestine.

In Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the attack at a vigil soon after the incident.

“Hamas terrorists aren't a resistance, they're not freedom fighters. They are terrorists, and no one in Canada should be supporting them, much less celebrating them,” he said, standing in front of a Canadian and Israeli flag.

“Canada unequivocally condemns Hamas’ attack against Israel – and we stand united with the Israeli people. That was the message I shared with Ottawa’s Jewish community and everyone at yesterday’s solidarity gathering,” Trudeau wrote on Twitter the next day.

It seems he was finally in agreement with his opposition, Progressive Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre who took a similar stance at the vigil.

“Tonight I supported and grieved with Canada’s Jewish community following Hamas’ sadistic terrorist violence. Am Yisrael Chai,” wrote Poilievre in a Twitter post that shares video of his seven-minute statement.

“Heartbreak for the innocent mothers, babies, grandparents, partygoers, peace activists who suddenly and inexplicably lost their lives at the hands of an unprecedented terrorist attack,” Poilievre said in the video, also standing in front of the Canadian and Israel flag.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau holds a sign at a rally in support of Israel, at the Soloway Jewish Community Centre in Ottawa on Monday, October 9, 2023. 

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang (The Canadian Press)

Canadians claim leaders' perspectives biased: 'It's absurd to say that Palestinians should be silent'

Yet, some Canadians say the Canadian government’s statements are biased and don’t take into account the hundreds of Palestinian civilians who were harmed or killed in recent days – and in the months and years that led to this moment.

Zeidan, a Guelph University alumna and the founder of the Guelph Palestinian Student Association, questions why the Canadian government has yet to speak about “the daily oppression of Palestinians.”

They never spoke about when they (Palestinians) were attacked by Israel in their holy sites day in and day out in worship. The blockade of Gaza, the cutting off of electricity and water in Gaza by Israel is inhumane. The war crimes, ethnic cleansing, human rights violation that Israel has been committing before its establishment in 1948. It shows that Canadian politicians and leaders do not value Palestinian lives and will never speak up against injustice that Palestinians face. It just shows that they support Israel no matter what and give monetary support to their military to terrorize Palestinian people and continue to commit human rights violations.Zeidan, Guelph Palestinian Student Association

It shows that as Palestinians, we cannot speak up for injustices done to Palestinians without being censored. There’s failure to acknowledge that Palestinians have the right to fight for their human rights, freedom and liberation under an occupation under international law. It’s absurd to say that Palestinian should be silent when they’re being murdered and attacked day in and day out for decades. (But) what is expected of Canadian politicians and leaders when they are also committing injustices to our Indigenous communities in Canada?Zeidan, Guelph Palestinian Student Association

Her critique of the Canadian government’s pro-Israel statements was echoed by Adham Diabas, a Palestinian living in Brampton, Ontario.

As someone who was born and raised in the occupied West Bank in Palestine. It’s very frustrating and infuriating to see that the same old biased statements are being made with absolutely no context towards the larger picture and the whole origin of the Palestinian struggle. It’s really unfair that we have to keep explaining the history and justify the resistance's actions when it’s been 75 long years of ethnic cleansing, occupation, settler oppression and colonialism.Adham Diabas, Palestinian-Canadian

He shares why he feels the Canadian government does not value Palestinian lives as much as it values, speaks up for, and protects Israeli lives.

When I first moved to Canada when I was 14-years-old, I really believed that this was a country that stands up for human rights and calls out international human rights violations whenever and wherever they happen. But as the years went on, it became very clear that the whole economy, political scene and pretty much every government official is under direct control of Israeli propaganda. Almost every Canadian media outlet will refer to Palestinians' lives as ‘dead’ and to Israelis as ‘killed.’ They do not see Palestinian lives as valued human lives, but instead they dehumanize us in the media and act as if we are just a bunch of stats and numbers on a screen.Adham Diabas, Palestinian-Canadian

Why 'peace' may not be the only solution in the Middle East

Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) describes why peace is only possible when the Canadian government considers the most vulnerable and oppressed group in this war.

While we understand and share the sympathies for the civilian victims of Hamas’ acts on Saturday, we feel that the blind support of our politicians for Israel encourages Israel to wreak wanton violence against the two million Palestinians of Gaza. Where are the condemnations from Canadian politicians about Israel’s deliberate targeting of residential towers with airstrikes, the bombing of a hospital, or the decision to shut off electricity to more than 2 million civilians in the Gaza Strip? Not once has Trudeau strongly condemned Israel’s many military ‘operations’ against Gaza, even when those attacks were unprovoked, indiscriminately harmed civilians, and amounted to war crimes according to UN experts and human rights groups.Thomas Woodley and Michael Bueckert, President and Vice-President of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East

Woodley said that it’s difficult not to conclude that Trudeau, Joly and Poilievre attribute different values to Israeli lives than to Palestinian lives.

So far, in response to Saturday’s attack, political leaders in the Trudeau government, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau himself, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland have expressed solidarity only with Israel, despite the fact that Israel’s military response has indiscriminately killed hundreds of innocent civilians in Gaza and the West Bank. Israel’s imposition of a “total siege” on Gaza – including its ban on the entry of food, water, fuel, and electricity into the occupied territory – is an act of collective punishment and a flagrant violation of international law that is only intended to inflict harm upon the civilian population.Thomas Woodley, President of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East

The group highlights the fact that just as the Israeli government doesn’t represent all Jewish people, Hamas does not represent all Palestinian people – and the Canadian government does not represent all Canadians.

It’s a perspective that even some Jewish-Canadians are echoing. Online, Independent Jewish Voices (IJV), a grassroots organization called on the Canadian government to “condemn Israeli apartheid and work towards a peaceful resolution that upholds the rights to life and freedom of both Palestinians and Israelis.”

The Canadian government has opposed Palestinian attempts at non-violent resistance, whether through efforts to boycott, divest and impose sanctions or through appeals to international courts and the UN. When non-violent resistance is seen as unacceptable, labeled antisemitic or terroristic, Palestinians are thus stripped of the tools to advocate for their lives, liberties and livelihoods.Independent Jewish Voices Canada

It’s clear that as tensions continue to rise, Israelis, Palestinians and their allies in Canada will keep an eye on how the Trudeau government and other governing parties continue to respond to the crisis.