'Hypocrite': Jagmeet Singh called out for mirroring Sarah Jama and calling Israel an 'extremist government'

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh called out Israel’s Netanyahu for running what Singh describes as an “extremist government” after Justin Trudeau's calls for "maximum restraint"


Joy Joshi
·Writer, Yahoo News Canada
Updated Thu, November 16, 2023 

Federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh was in Toronto discussing the high cost of rent, lack of affordable housing and the need for a concrete plan to bring down grocery prices in Canada, when he was asked about Netanyahu’s smackdown of Trudeau’s call for “maximum restraint” by Israel in Gaza.

Jasmeet Singh and Justin Trudeau and seem to be on the same page on urging Israel to exercise "maximum restraint" in Gaza (Inshot/CP)

Singh replied saying he wasn’t surprised by the Israeli prime minister's response to Trudeau’s remarks and went on to accuse Netanyahu of “running an extremist government” and being "dangerous to democracy."

“This is an extremist himself with very dangerous policies. Dangerous to democracy, dangerous to the people of Israel. People in Israel have very actively opposed his agenda, have protested him and so I am not surprised he is responding,” Singh told reporters.

Singh also sided with Trudeau’s criticism of Israel, calling it “fair.”

“There should obviously be a full respect for international law. There are deep concerns about that not being followed. So that’s a fair criticism,” he added.

Earlier in the week, Trudeau called on Israel to exercise “maximum restraint” so civilian casualties could be avoided, as reports of the Israel Defence Forces raiding Gaza’s largest hospital, Al-Shifa, emerged.

In response to Trudeau’s calls, Netanyahu shifted the blame to Hamas in a lengthy post on X.

“It is not Israel that is deliberately targeting civilians but Hamas that beheaded, burned and massacred civilians in the worst horrors perpetrated on Jews since the Holocaust,” Netanyahu posted on X while tagging the Canadian prime minister’s handle.

“It is Hamas not Israel that should be held accountable for committing a double war crime - targeting civilians while hiding behind civilians.”

Jagmeet Singh criticized Trudeau for not making his position clear on ceasefire

While Singh may be on the same page as Trudeau about Israel’s role in the war, the NDP leader remains critical of the Canadian prime minister’s shaky stance on calling for a ceasefire.

“So far the prime minister hasn’t taken that position. I believe Canada should take that strong position that we believe in peace, we believe in a ceasefire and the release of hostages. We need to do that and make that voice and stand as clear as possible, as soon as possible,” Singh told reporters in Toronto.

“We play a very significant role in the world. Our voice would have weight, if we were to call for that combined position as a nation - the release of hostages and a ceasefire - that would be something very important and very significant and so far the prime minister has not taken that stance and many people are critical about it and I understand why,” Singh added.

Canadians call out Singh for saying the “same thing” as Sarah Jama who was booted from NDP following her controversial stance on the war

Singh’s remarks did not sit well with many Canadians, and possibly former supporters of the NDP, who noticed the irony in how his recent thoughts on the Israel-Hamas war reflected those of Sarah Jama’s from about a month ago, following which the Hamilton MPP was axed from the Ontario NDP.

Jama went through a volatile few weeks after posting what was perceived to be a controversial statement on the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. She was kicked out of caucus by Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles with support from fellow party MPPs in the province, while Doug Ford's PCs also voted to censure Jama in the House.

Earlier this week, Sarah Jama shared with news reporters what she believed could have been the reason behind her expulsion from the NDP, as she reopened her Hamilton Centre office for the first time since becoming an independent MPP more than three weeks ago.

Jama told reporters the reason behind NDP letting her go may have been the Hamilton MPP calling for a ceasefire "too early" and referring to Israel as an "apartheid state."

Her comments came in the same week that also saw federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh doubling down on calls for a ceasefire as Canadians called him a "hypocrite" for saying the "same thing" as what laid the foundation of Jama's dismissal.

Jagmeet Singh’s comments follow Trudeau’s delayed action on Gaza

Singh’s comments and the backlash from several Canadians follow a row of staunch criticism by Canadians against Justin Trudeau’s “indirect” call for a ceasefire to Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu.

Trudeau’s comments on Tuesday, while welcomed, were considered to be not enough by several Canadians who demanded an immediate and direct call for ceasefire to end the killing of civilian Palestinians in Gaza.

On the same night, the prime minister was swarmed by a large group of pro-Palestine protesters at a Vancouver restaurant where they chanted “ceasefire now” and phrases like “shame on you” and “you have blood on your hands” to try and force Trudeau into calling for a ceasefire immediately.

While Trudeau may not have directly called for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, his recent remarks hint at the possibility of calls for a ceasefire soon if Israel does not show restraint.

 'Why should you get to eat in peace?': Canadians slam Trudeau's Gaza stance after protesters swarm him in restaurant

Vancouver police was forced to deploy almost 100 officers after videos showing swarms of people confronting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a restaurant Tuesday night went viral.



Joy Joshi
·Writer, Yahoo News Canada
Updated Wed, November 15, 2023 

In videos that have recently gone viral in Canada, a group of pro-Palestine protesters can be seen entering a restaurant where Prime Minister Trudeau was present and chanting “ceasefire now” to bring an end to the killing of civilians in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

The Vancouver Police in a statement said almost 100 officers responded after approximately 250 people surrounded a Chinatown restaurant and escorted Trudeau out of the venue.

One of the many videos of the incident doing rounds on the web, shared by @palsolidarity on Instagram, shows Trudeau being heckled by protesters demanding “ceasefire now” at Vij’s, which is a restaurant in a different part of the city.

The protesters can also be heard urging Trudeau to “look at us” and using phrases like “shame on you,” “you fund genocides” and “you have blood on your hands” as they chased Trudeau out of the restaurant and into the street with the crowd growing impatient.

Later, the police arrested a man for assaulting a VPD officer and another for obstructing the police.

People applaud protesters for directing Canada’s attention to the need for a ceasefire

On social media, people praised the group of protesters for increasing pressure on Trudeau on calling for a ceasefire and bringing an immediate end to the killing of Palestinians in Gaza.

"whose voice is that so louddd???? thumbs up to youuuu lady!!" replied a user to the video shared by @palsolidarity on Instagram.

“So much respect for those who are fighting for humanity 🙌” joined another.

“So happy to see there are people with a conscience in this world. You don’t want innocent kids to have peace so why should you get to eat in peace??” said Bisma Parvez.

This comes as pressure mounts on the Liberal government over pressing demands from Canadians to call for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East where more than 10,000 people have already died as a result of intense bombing in Gaza.

Trudeau and Netanyahu take aim at each other

Earlier on Tuesday, Justin Trudeau called on Israel to exercise “maximum restraint” in Gaza, a call that was met with a strong response by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who solely blamed Hamas for the loss of civilian lives in the conflicted region.

“It is not Israel that is deliberately targeting civilians but Hamas that beheaded, burned and massacred civilians in the worst horrors perpetrated on Jews since the Holocaust,” Netanyahu posted on X while tagging the Canadian prime minister’s handle.

Netanyahu continued explaining how Israel accommodates Palestinian civilians by providing them humanitarian corridors and safe zones in Gaza, however, interference by Hamas proves to be detrimental and puts civilians in danger.

“While Israel is doing everything to keep civilians out of harm’s way, Hamas is doing everything to keep them in harm’s way,” Netanyahu wrote on X.

Widespread dissatisfaction among Canadians over Justin Trudeau

While some Canadians believe that asking for "maximum restraint" is an improvement on his “Israel has the right to defend” stance from earlier, many remain dissatisfied with his leadership.

While some are disappointed in Trudeau’s inability to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, others are simply "just tired of him" as per the latest Leger poll for The Canadian Press. The poll revealed that half of those who took the survey want the prime minister to resign before the next election.

The main reasons listed by survey takers for the widespread dissatisfaction range from increasing unaffordability, housing, public debt to health care.

Trudeau's approval rating continues to take massive hits in comparison to Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre who is gaining more ground by the day, discussing issues like axing the carbon tax, Canada's position on Israel's war with Hamas and unaffordable housing across major cities.

While Trudeau appears to be inching closer to calling for a ceasefire, he seems to be struggling to get it right with his electorate since none of his recent moves seem to land effectively with them, especially his ever-shifting stance on the Israel-Hamas war.

Canadian government and politics expert Nelson Wiseman says foreign policy has never been anywhere near the top criteria for Canadian voters during elections, but the dissatisfaction over other factors could certainly lead to his downfall.

Canadian government and politics expert Nelson Wiseman weighs in on how Trudeau's stance on Israel-Hamas war does not impact the outcome of upcoming federal election (The Hill Times)

“International developments have virtually nothing to do with how people vote in elections. Foreign policy that has ever mattered in a Canadian election is if it has anything to do with the United States,” Wiseman told Yahoo News Canada.

“And, no, the current war is not setting the stage for Trudeau's resignation. Many people want a change after Trudeau's successful terms and the low popularity is a direct result of that. Because they are down in the polls so there is growing pressure on him," Wiseman concluded.

'What took so long?': Canadians welcome PM Trudeau's calls for 'maximum restraint' in Gaza but wonder if it is too late

Are you satisfied with the PM's leadership and response to the conflict? Poll suggests Canadians are not in favour of Trudeau

Joy Joshi
·Writer, Yahoo News Canada
Wed, November 15, 2023 

Canadians are divided on PM Trudeau's latest take on the situation in Gaza —calling on Israel to practise “maximum restraint” to minimize civilian casualties as the war against Hamas rages on.

Trudeau used his press address Tuesday afternoon to draw attention to Gaza’s largest hospital, Al Shifa, where the Israeli military carried out a raid on Wednesday against Hamas militants.

“The human tragedy that is unfolding in Gaza is heart-wrenching, especially the suffering we see in and around the Al Shifa Hospital,” Trudeau said.

Trudeau went on to add that the price of justice “cannot be the continued suffering” of all Palestinian civilians.

“Even wars have rules. All innocent life is equal in worth. Israeli and Palestinian.”

“I urge the government of Israel to exercise maximum restraint,” the prime minister said.

Canadians welcome Trudeau's latest, more pressing remarks

Trudeau’s recent comments were welcomed by many Canadians who had been urging the prime minister to call for a ceasefire — a word he has yet to use —to ease the loss of life of civilians caught in the war.

Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu hits back at Justin Trudeau after the Canadian PM called for "maximum restraint" in Gaza to minimise civilian casualties (Canadian press/AP)

While not a direct call to Israel for a ceasefire, Trudeau seems to be inching closer to what Canadians want him to deliver on.

“I have been highly critical of Trudeau on many issues, using expletives on occasion, but I will give him his due as I agree with him on this point. The artificial Zionist state of Israel is not defending itself, they are not attempting to surgically remove or capture suspected Hamas members, they are conducting immoral and extremely disproportionate offensive murderous and genocidal actions; committing heinous war crimes against the Palestinian people and they MUST be stopped!” replied a user on X, formerly known as Twitter, to Trudeau’s clip shared by CPAC.

“I feel like any decent human being, and I consider him one, should’ve had this opinion from the start. I’m glad this was said in a very public way, but curious what took so long?” questioned another.

While many Canadians welcomed Trudeau's push for "maximum restraint" by Israel in the Gaza Strip, some others wondered if the prime minister is a little too late.

Speaking on whether Trudeau could have called for exercising "maximum restraint" sooner, Canadian government and politics expert Nelson Wiseman told Yahoo News Canada the prime minister's position on the issue remains constant with that of Canada's allies, therefore, if there is a change in his position that means overall there has been a slight shift in reactions owing to the tragic news coming out of Gaza daily.

The Canadian position will continue to be in line with that of its allies. The Canadian position has shifted for the same reason the American position has shifted. Biden called for a humanitarian pause and then followed Trudeau. The call for a ceasefire, too, is likely to follow the same pattern.Nelson Wiseman, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, University of Toronto

Benjamin Netanyahu hits back at Trudeau with a rebuttal that shifts blame to Hamas

A few hours later, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to Trudeau’s calls for “maximum restraint” in a lengthy post on X, saying “Israel is doing everything to keep civilians out of harm’s way” and Hamas should be held accountable.

“It is not Israel that is deliberately targeting civilians but Hamas that beheaded, burned and massacred civilians in the worst horrors perpetrated on Jews since the Holocaust,” Netanyahu posted on X while tagging the Canadian prime minister’s handle.

“It is Hamas not Israel that should be held accountable for committing a double war crime - targeting civilians while hiding behind civilians.”

Netanyahu continued explaining how Israel accommodates Palestinian civilians by providing them humanitarian corridors and safe zones in Gaza, however, interference by Hamas proves to be detrimental, putting civilians in danger.

“While Israel is doing everything to keep civilians out of harm’s way, Hamas is doing everything to keep them in harm’s way,” Netanyahu wrote on X.

Trudeau's critics applaud Netanyahu's reply to Trudeau

Netanyahu’s response to Trudeau led to a flurry of reactions from the PM's critics and Canadian supporters of Israel who did not appreciate their prime minister’s recent calls for “maximum restraint” by Israel.

“Trudeau is such an embarrassment.

Thank you for calling out our terrorist-sympathizing Prime Minister,

@netanyahu,” posted @BillboardChris on X.

“Justin Trudeau, who is heading the most corrupt government in Canada's history, is just pandering for voted. We have terrorists waving flags rallies, Jewish schools shot at to his silence, and won't designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization,” wrote policy commentator Kirk Lubimov.

Joining the criticism was @HanyaToderoff, who thanked the Israeli PM for “setting Trudeau straight,” while sharing the screenshot of a poll suggesting widespread dissatisfaction with Justin Trudeau' government.

Many Canadians unsatisfied with Trudeau, demand call for ceasefire

A Leger poll for the Canadian Press suggests that almost two in three Canadians have a negative impression of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and half want him to resign before the next election due to dissatisfaction over affordability, housing, health care and public debt.

Additionally, one in five people surveyed said they want him to resign just because they are “tired of him.”

This comes as Trudeau's approval rating continues to take massive hits in comparison to Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre who is gaining more ground by the day discussing issues like axing the carbon tax, Canada's position on Israel's war with Hamas and unaffordable housing across major cities.

Trudeau faces a strong challenge as he attempts to tackle it all, as the situation in Gaza causes further divide among Canadians.

With his recent remarks, Trudeau might be hinting at the possibility of calls for a ceasefire as the next step if Israel does not show restraint.

However, Canadians, especially the National Council of Canadian Muslims, demand a clearer and just response to reinforce Canada's stance.

Is the right to free speech being curbed in Israel amid the war with Hamas?

HALEY OTT
November 16, 2023 

AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images

As the war between Israel and Hamas rages, there's a battle being fought inside Israel over freedom of expression. Rights groups and lawyers say there's a crackdown on speech that is resulting in dozens of people being fired from their jobs, disciplined by or expelled from their universities and even arrested, often for posts on social media in support of Palestinians or critical of Israel's operations in Gaza.

"We're not talking about people who are supporting the terrifying acts that happened on the 7th of October, but we're talking about people who are trying to look at the Palestinian cause," Adi Mansour, a lawyer who works for the Palestinian-run legal aid organization Adallah, based in Israel's third largest city, Haifa, told CBS News.

Since Hamas' brutal Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel, Adallah has represented over 90 students facing disciplinary action at 32 different universities in Israel for posts made on their personal social media accounts.

"We've never seen this," Mansour said, adding that though he's seen many cases of students being suspended for issues relating to freedom of expression on university grounds, he's never seen students being disciplined at this scale for expression outside colleges.

"I think this is the first time that we see this very big campaign against students who are posting outside the academic institutions altogether," he said.

One of those students, a Palestinian with Israeli citizenship who wanted to remain anonymous due to ongoing disciplinary proceedings at her college, posted two stories on her private Instagram account in the weeks after the Hamas attack that supported international protests against the war and condemned Israeli airstrikes on Gaza. The posts were reported to her university, and she was suspended pending a hearing to determine if she will be expelled.

"They said: 'We suspect that you support a terrorism attack or group, so we would like to invite you to a hearing session so you can say what you have to say. And we will agree after that what we will do to you.' Like, if I can continue my degree or not," she told CBS News.

She said she was brought before a committee made up of a number of her own teachers.

"I was trying to explain to them, I was against the terrorism attack, and I am genuinely against anyone getting hurt, getting murdered. Against anything violent… They wouldn't listen," she said.

"I wanted to tell them… most of you knew me. But do you want to listen to me now? Why? Is it because I am a Muslim woman? I'm not from the same religion? I don't look like you? Why? Is it because of that? And they won't listen."

The committee later ruled that the student's posts amounted to support for, "or at the very least, identification with," terrorist activities, and the student was suspended for a semester with their return after that time conditional upon further conversations with the university.

Israel's national police force said that while it "firmly upholds the fundamental right to freedom of speech, it is imperative to address those who exploit this right to perilously incite violence" in the wake of Hamas' attack.

The police said they were taking a "zero tolerance" approach to social media content since the attack and have investigated and arrested more than 100 people in Israel "on suspicion of promoting dangerous incitement and violent behavior" since Oct. 7.

Prominent Palestinian singer Dalal Abu Amneh was among those detained. She was put under house arrest for posting a picture of the Palestinian flag with the Arabic words "There is no victor but God" on her Instagram account. She was later released on bail under the condition that she didn't speak about the war for 45 days.

"We arrived at October 7th already in a bad place when it comes to freedom of expression in the press," Israeli human rights lawyer and activist Michael Sfard told CBS News. "In the last decade, decade and a half, there is a very disturbing trend of silencing critical voices within Israel," he said.

Sfard said freedom of speech in Israel was largely protected through the courts and case law, but that over the last decade those protections had "been ignored or deteriorated." He said he believed the majority of the arrests over social media posts would not lead to any further judicial action, but he warned that they would have a further chilling effect on free speech.

"I can assess that 80, 90% of [the arrests] will not bring about an indictment, but the damage is done," Sfard said. "Because people that are called or detained in order for investigation, they go through a night, and the chilling effect for speech and the chilling effect of having an open discussion on the means of warfare that we're using in Gaza is completely, completely crushed."

Democratic lawmakers press Biden on Israeli violence in the West Bank

JONATHAN ALLEN
November 16, 2023 


WASHINGTON — Two Democratic lawmakers wrote to President Joe Biden on Thursday to ask him to keep pressing Israel to crack down on violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank.

"As your administration tirelessly works to prevent the expansion of this conflict, we write to specifically highlight the threat that violence in the West Bank — especially vigilante violence by Israeli settlers — poses to those efforts, Israel’s near-term security, Palestinian human rights, and long-term regional peace," Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., wrote in a letter first obtained by NBC News.

Goldman and Booker, the only two lawmakers who were in Israel during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, argue that violence by settlers undermines the Palestinian Authority, which they view as a crucial partner in attempting to unify Gaza and the West Bank as part of an eventual peace plan that establishes a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

“We strongly believe that a two-state solution remains the only genuine option to achieve a just, secure, and prosperous future for both Israelis and Palestinians,” the lawmakers wrote. “However, settler violence against Palestinian civilians destroys the very seeds of trust and cooperation needed to make progress toward a two-state outcome and an enduring peace in the region."


The White House did not immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment on the letter.

Israeli violence against Palestinians in the West Bank is one of the issues straining the relationship between the U.S. and Israel, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this month that the incidents are "unacceptable," according to the State Department. The lawmakers, both Biden allies with strong ties to Israel, appear to be bolstering the president's position at a delicate moment for his domestic politics and his relationship with Netanyahu.

The letter falls well short of the cease-fire that some Democratic members of Congress and many progressive activists want the U.S. to seek in the Middle East. But the request to pressure Israel to police its own people in the West Bank comes amid pro-Palestinian demonstrations aimed at swaying the Biden administration and Democratic lawmakers. On Wednesday night, protesters blocked access to the Democratic National Committee, and pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested outside Goldman's Brooklyn office last week when they blocked traffic.

In addition to their broader call for pressuring Israel on violence in the West Bank, Booker and Goldman specifically ask Biden to ensure that it is not carried out with weapons provided by the U.S. to Israel.

"As the U.S. works to support Israel’s defense, we urge your administration to seek adequate assurances from the Israeli government that any rifles provided by the United States will not be used to perpetuate settler violence in the West Bank," they wrote.

Thousands of Ukrainian children taken to Belarus - Yale research

ANTHONY DEUTSCH
November 16, 2023 


AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - More than 2,400 children from Ukraine aged between six and 17 years old have been taken to 13 facilities across Belarus since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, research published by Yale University said on Thursday.

Ukraine's prosecutor general said in May that he was investigating the alleged role of Belarus in the forced transfer of more than 19,000 identified children from Russian-occupied territories since the conflict broke out, including to Russia.

The total number is estimated by some experts and organisations to be far higher.

The findings by the Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale School of Public Health, which receives U.S. State Dept. funding, shared with Reuters are the most extensive to date about the alleged role of Belarus in the Russian relocation program for Ukrainian children.

Russia has said previously that it is offering humanitarian aid to those wishing to flee Ukraine voluntarily and rejects accusations of war crimes.

The press service of Russia's Children's Rights Commissioner, who oversees the relocation of children from occupied Ukraine, and Belarus' foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the research.

Among the key findings detailed in the 39-page report were that children had been transported from at least 17 cities in Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions in what Yale researchers described as an ongoing practice.

More than 2,000 children Yale identified were transported to the Dubrava children's centre in Belarus' Minsk region between September 2022 and May 2023, it said, while 392 children were taken to 12 other facilities.

"Russia's systematic effort to identify, collect, transport, and re-educate Ukraine's children has been facilitated by Belarus," the report said.

"Russia's federal government and Belarus' regime have been working together to coordinate and fund the movement of children from Russia-occupied Ukraine through Russia to Belarus."

Transports to Belarus through Russia were "ultimately coordinated" between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko, it added.

The International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Russia's Putin in March. It accused him and Russia's Children's Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova of the war crime of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine.

Taking children under the age of 18 across a border without the consent of a parent or guardian is prohibited under international humanitarian law.

Ukraine's war crimes prosecutors have said they are investigating the deportations as potential genocide.

The Genocide Convention - a treaty adopted by the U.N. General Assembly in the wake of the Nazi Holocaust - specifies five acts that could each constitute the crime, if committed with genocidal intent, including forcibly transferring children out of their group.

Ukraine's foreign ministry and the office of the prosecutor general, which oversees war crimes investigations, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Once in Belarus, children have been subjected to military training and re-education and Lukashenko approved the use of state organizations to transport children from Ukraine to Belarus and finance their transportation, the Yale report said.

It is unclear how many of the children identified by Yale's research remain in Belarus.

(Reporting by Anthony Deutsch; Editing by Mike Collett-White and Alexandra Hudson)