Nursing a Viper
It's always struck me as peculiar in the extreme that a country like Canada has within one of its provinces a large, vociferously vocal population that continually expresses dissatisfaction with being a part of the Canadian confederation of provinces. That within the Province of Quebec there exists a provincially-based popular party, the Parti Quebecois which has called time and again, for a referendum for separation. That within that same party there exists a federal representation for secession, the Bloc Quebecois.These are duly elected provincial and federal politicians whose allegiance is not to the country - whom they decry as oppressors of the French minority within the larger majority of English-speaking Canadians - but to the furtherance of the well-being of the Province of Quebec. Their passion is protection of the French language in Canada, to the detriment of English, within Quebec. Their purpose is to achieve their nationalist dream of separation. With a qualifier; continued economic ties with the country.
Canadian taxpayers, whose resentment of the ongoing cost to the economic well-being of the entire country as a result of pandering to separatists, let alone the costs associated with supporting the vision of separation within Parliament, are fed up with the constant demands. But as a liberal democracy, fond of its French fact the country also is loathe to surrender to these demands of separation. And, holding its collective nose, continues to pony up all the excessive demands of Quebec for political, social and economic support, to forestall the spectre of division.
And we think we've got it tough? How about another liberal democracy, existing not in the West, but in the Middle East? No, not Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon; surely you jest. Let's have a look at Israel, the only true democracy in that ancient region. Where Arab Palestinians with Israeli citizenship are duly elected to sit in Israel's parliament, the Knesset. Arab members of the Knesset represent the interests of Israeli Palestinians; they have no interest, for the most part, in acting on behalf of the State of Israel, although one does in fact hold a Cabinet post.
During times of high national alerts, when Israel has been existentially threatened by one or another of her neighbours, or by the many proxy militias whose purpose of existence is an ongoing conflict through terror action against Israel, Arab MKs have been known to give aid and comfort to the enemy. At the present time, when Israel has been beset by daily rocket attacks across its border, when all MKs should be expressing concern for the well-being of all Israeli citizens, Israeli-Arab MKs see fit, not to attempt to influence a cessation of rocket attacks, but to attack government troops trying to halt the rocket assaults.
It's more than slightly understandable that there would be great perturbation among Palestinians, feeling that their Arab brethren in Gaza, civilians who have been collectively taken hostage by Hamas and Fatah-affiliated terror groups, should feel frightened and yes, aggrieved at the harm being perpetrated upon them through the conflict currently playing out. It's simple enough to overlook the fact that terror groups, single-mindedly intent on inflicting as much damage, both physical and reputation-wise upon Israel, are more than willing to sacrifice the lives of innocent Palestinians.
Far, far easier to express indignation and anger toward a responsible government that takes condemnation seriously, rather than terror groups that simply shrug it off. So when Arab Knesset members organized a demonstration to protest Israel's defensive military incursions into Gaza, several thousand Arabs handily turned out to voice their protests. Not meekly; some violence ensued, with the hurtling of rocks at Israeli vehicles, as the crowd cried "Israel, the mother of terror!", holding up signs reading "Stop the Zionazi".
Along with other slogans such as "Rest, O martyr, we will complete the task"; "Warm blessings to the rock children", and "With blood and spirit, we will redeem Palestine". The messages are clear enough; there is no allegiance to the country of which they are deemed and have full rights as citizens, only to the emotions of collective victimhood; the aggrieved determination to outlast the State of Israel, and eventually absorb it into a region-wide Palestinian state. Syrian and PLO flags were held aloft, with some participants concealing their faces with keffiyehs.
Israeli-Arab members of the Knesset, representing several Palestinian factions addressed the crowd in the Israeli city of Umm el-Fahm, reviling Israel for "the massacre in Gaza", insisting that the rockets lobbed into Israel were just rewards in reaction to the presence of Israel and its evil deeds. Palestinians deem it exquisitely reasonable that "resistance to the oppressor", code for terror attacks, continue alongside peace talks. Incidents of discrete terror attacks take place elsewhere in the country, with angry Arabs resorting to violence against Israelis.
And Canadians feel it absurd that taxpayer funding contributes to the well-being and the agenda of a secessionist province. That we pay for the democratic right of an opposition party to sit in parliament, with no interest whatever in the country which pays them to exercise that right, and which absorbs the insults continually directed toward the country at large. The government - successive governments over many decades - have attempted time and again to enact legislation meant to mollify French anger, to no avail.
In Israel, here is a country similarly committed to the liberal democratic ideal, supporting freedom of speech, association and action all of which are obviously deleterious to the well-being of the state. For like members of Quebec's Bloc Quebecois, Israeli Arab MKs enjoy full rights as citizens, as legislators, while denouncing the country that allows it to freely do so, and in the process allying themselves with the nation's deadly enemies.
It would be fascinating to hear from these entitled parliamentarians professing no love for the country that gives them these freedoms, how they would enjoy life under the systems of governance employed by neighbouring Arab countries, how the quality of their lives would be impacted, and how they would prefer that to what they have within Israel.
Labels: Israel, Terrorism, Traditions
posted by Pieface @ Wednesday, March 05, 2008
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