generalspeaking

The Neutrality of the United Nations, of UNRWA, of Canada

"Obviously if you're a United Nations agency that is supposed to be politically neutral -- political neutrality is actually written into UNRWA's mandate -- and yet you're teaching on one side of the conflict that the other side of the conflict is going to inevitably lose and be destroyed and they should just keep fighting until it happens, that's very problematic."
"We would like to see Canada and the other Western donor countries work harder to end these problems with UNRWA."
"We think that especially at a time like this, when UNRWA is more desperate for money because of the American decision to cut some of the funding, that Canada and other Western donor countries should be banding together to demand change and to make sure that this money isn't being dumped into a bottomless pit of grievance and perpetuating the conflict."
Aiden Fishman, spokesperson, B'nai Brith Canada

"[UN Watch reported Canada's Global Affairs has] glossed over specific allegations against UNRWA, claiming that they were unfounded or had been addressed, without explaining why or how."
"There is copious evidence of Hamas rockets and military accessories being sheltered in the same UNRWA schools and health clinics which Canada is funding."
"[The] openly toxic [school] curriculum [promotes and glorifies terror against Israel]."
Vivian Bercovici, former Canadian ambassador to Israel

More than six months after the end of the most recent conflict between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian organisation relaunched Liberation Youth Camps for boys aged between 15 and 21. Picture: Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters

It is beyond question that among teachers hired by UNRWA to teach in their schools anti-Semitism runs rampant. The curricula and the textbooks teach children that their highest aspirations should be 'resistance' against the 'occupation'. And the occupation is, in reality, any Jewish presence on Palestinian 'Arab land'. That no Jews in antiquity ever lived in the Middle East, and their presence is that of colonialists.

Of the estimated 750,000 Arab Palestinians that fled previous to the march on Israel of five Arab nation militaries intent on destroying the nascent state in 1948, UNRWA now counts five million Palestinians as refugees listed under its agency. The schools it operates in the Gaza Strip, West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria all use textbooks that paint the presence of Jews as an affront to Islam and a threat to peace.

Princeton scholar Arnon Groiss conducted a review in February of those textbooks and in them were found descriptions of Jews as aides of the devil, that no Jewish and historical religious links with Jerusalem ever existed, and the entirety of Israel is described as "occupied Palestine". All of which draw Palestinian children into the pathology of regarding the complete elimination of Israel as the solution to the current conflict between Jews and Arabs.

As for its part, Global Affairs Canada states: "Canada supports UNRWA in its ongoing efforts to improve neutrality within the Agency and its operations. Canadian funding has allowed UNRWA to engage a neutrality coordinator to monitor activities related to neutrality, lead the development of neutrality initiatives, respond to allegations of neutrality violations, and uphold UNRWA's neutrality."

Since Hamas authors the UNRWA curriculum in Gaza, as an example, and given that the Hamas charter clearly states its objective as the destruction of the State of Israel, it is hardly surprising that their school textbooks reflect their aspiration. Funding of UNRWA and the Palestinians also funds summer camps where young Palestinians are taught how to be effective fighters; their goal to kill Jews. So much for the U.N. values of 'human rights, tolerance, equality' etc.

As for neutrality on the part of the current Liberal-led Government of Canada, what to make of the just-concluded federal Liberal convention where the presence of Amin El-Maoued, the Head of Public Relations of the Palestine House appeared to reflect this government's penchant for allying itself with those of questionable reputation, just as an invitation had gone out to a Sikh-Canadian convicted of terrorism in the attempted murder of an Indian MP to an event along with Justin Trudeau on his India trip.

On this occasion, Amin El-Maoued, invited to attend the Liberal convention, when previously he and
Iqra Khalid, the MP who had introduced the "Islamophobia" motion (Motion 103) in Parliament last year had met with Palestinian Archbishop Atallah Hanna for the annual Land Day event held by the Palestine House on April 15, 2015 in Mississauga, Ontario. Archbishop Hanna supports the Syrian regime.

He also supports the Palestinian intifada. He has posted on his Facebook page: "President Assad is a distinct Arab national person and history will record the name of this great leader who worked to foil the conspiracy against the state of Syria with the Arab Syrian Army and all the suns of the Syrian people ... President Assad is not a murderer or a butcher as some say and circulate.... We emphasize our solidarity with Syria, its President, government, people and army." 
 

Hello, Canada! Which values is your government lauding today?

Labels: Canada, Israel, Palestinians, United Nations, UNRWA

posted by Pieface @ Monday, April 23, 2018