"We Will Achieve This By Force"

 

Photo montage, Getty Images

"We need to sit down and discuss this seriously."

"[President Donald Trump's plan is] a set of issues put forward for discussion [rather than a draft agreement]."

"If Ukrainian troops withdraw from the territories they occupy, hostilities will cease."

"If they don't withdraw, we will achieve this by force."

Russian President Vladimir Putin 

Russian President Vladimir Putin reviews the honor guard during a welcoming ceremony at Yntymak-Ordo in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, November 26, 2025. Igor Kovalenko/EPA/Shutterstock

 

Force, of course, is what this revanchist imperialist employed with his 'special military operation' launched against a sovereign Ukraine, with the intention of dragging the nation back into the fold of the Soviet Union that Vladimir Putin is planning on reconstructing. It is the reason Russia's near neighbours shudder at the Kremlin's actions in Georgia, Moldova, Transnistria, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. 

 

Speaking of Ukraine in holding its own territories as 'occupied' is typical Putian logic. It is, of course, Russia/Putin that 'occupies' Ukrainian territory starting with the coveted Crimean Peninsula and going on six years later to add Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson oblasts. Even that is not enough for Putin, vowing to fight on 'until the last Ukrainian dies'.  

"Putin does not want an agreement." 

"The only agreement he wants is diktat -- a Ukrainian surrender. Otherwise, he wants to continue fighting."

"I suspect if Ukraine had accepted those dreadful 28 points, Putin would come back for more."

"He realizes those 28 points reflected great flexibility moving his direction on the part of the United States, and he would say, 'See what else we can get'."

John Herbst, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine  

Vladimir Putin's idea of an end to war and the arrival of peace, is that Ukrainian forces must vacate the areas they 'occupy', for if they insist on remaining in defense of Ukrainian territory, Russian troops will roll right over them. With Russia's larger military, generously equipped, the original Ukrainian defensive swiftly turned into an offensive, demonstrating the courage and determination of a unique social/political order and historical culture to protect its inalienable sovereignty from the malign grasp of a warmonger.

 

Russia is demanding territory from Ukraine it has devastated throughout the course of the nearly four-year war (AFP/Getty)

 

The U.S. president's confidence that his status as the reigning world leader would convince two warring parties to submit to reason; enough blood shed, enough material destruction, enough displacement, enough refugees, and more than enough madness in the fog of war, greed, revenge, fear and misery. The tactics employed to date; strong-arming and verbally abusing and threatening the defender, while deferring to the offender have failed in their aberrant and clumsy overtures.

 

What is obvious that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will not bow to the unreasonable pressures he has been plied with, while acknowledging the need to placate to a certain measure some of the demands impressed upon him. Putin, on the other hand, remains fixated on the enterprise he set out to accomplish; acquiring by limitless force as much of the geography of Ukraine for a Greater Russia that the sacrifice of lives on both side can accomplish.

 

Andriy Yermak (right) said Ukraine’s Zelensky (left) would never give up land before he resigned on Friday amid an anti-corruption probe.  Reuters

 

Ukraine, as far as Putin is concerned, must withdraw completely from all of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions to make way for Russian annexation. Until this demand is satisfied, Moscow has no interest whatever in 'peace negotiations'. Nor can Ukraine be permitted to join NATO. Much less be permitted to host NATO troops for security reasons. 

 

European leaders, in their support of Ukraine while regarding the scenario that has been unfolding for the past three years in that country to be a potential prelude to what they too might experience should Russia prevail, are anxious to be consulted along with Ukraine for any alterations to the draft peace plan the Trump administration has pieced together. 

 

Europe is well aware that their adversary in Moscow plans to outwait their commitment in supporting the Ukrainian war effort. They are also acutely aware that it wouldn't take much for this irascible president who does not take kindly to opposition, to walk away from American past obligations in upholding the world order. Ukraine shudders at the prospect of being left adrift without any support at all from the U.S., whether it be badly needed military arms, or intelligence.  

"I see nothing at the moment that would force Putin to recalculate his goals or abandon his core demands."

"He feels more confident than ever about the battlefield situation and is convinced that he can wait until Kyiv finally accepts that it cannot win and must negotiate on Russia's well-known terms."

"If the Americans can help move things in that direction -- fine. If not, he knows how to proceed anyway." 

Tatiana Stoyanova, founder, R.Politik, senior fellow, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center  

 

"We are extremely concerned about such a phenomenon. We understand the rules of democracy, the freedom of speech and all of that. But as I said earlier, we are in a new reality. In this new reality, these kinds of incidents have an impact, and so it's different than just having a broad discussion and allowing people to come up with extreme views."

"Such acceptance may give rise to expressions of hatred by other parts of the public and repeating messages that are inflammatory, that are hateful, that are discriminatory."

"[While people should be able to speak freely] within the law [there are ongoing discussions how to preserve democracy while protecting] citizens from hateful speech, from brainwashing, from misinformation and disinformation."

"This is one of the biggest challenges of these times, and we face that, and I would only say that the best way to do it is to do it together and share our experiences." 

Israeli ambassador to Canada Iddo Moed

Israel’s Ambassador to Canada said he was unnerved by rising anti-Semitism here. “Some of the things I’ve witnessed here to me are mind-boggling,” Ambassador Iddo Moed testified at the Senate human rights committee: “When it comes to attacking Jews here, that’s very troubling.”  Blacklock's Reporter

 

"Last week, a Global News investigation uncovered that roughly 450 individuals with various roles inside Hamas have ties to Canada. These include Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and others with relatives or associates here. CSIS did not confirm if these individuals are currently under scrutiny. Global reported the agency “was investigating Canadians in Middle East terror groups, but declined to elaborate.”

The exposé yet again confirms a long-running trend: Canada remains one of the most vulnerable western jurisdictions for infiltration by Hamas-linked operatives, and the aftermath of October 7 has deepened the country’s exposure."

"Hamas and its ideological progenitor, the Muslim Brotherhood, have spent decades cultivating networks across western democracies, exploiting charitable sectors, legal systems, immigration frameworks, and political sensitivities. A series of international cases that have come to light this month alone illustrates how widespread and deep-seated this threat ecosystem has become."

"A full audit of asylum, refugee, and citizenship cases from the past decade must be conducted to identify any fraud or irregularities, and denaturalization and deportation measures should be enforced wherever the law permits."

Joe Adam George, Middle East Forum  

"I think that there is a total lack of law enforcement of these marauders who are on the university campuses, who are in the streets of Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and so on."

"And I think this lack of law enforcement, plus the statements that are made by faculty associations, by unions, has created an environment of absolute permissiveness, so that it is socially acceptable right now to be an antisemite."

"[The recognition of the Palestinian state by the Canadian government is what has opened] Pandora's box against Israel, against the Jewish community in Canada." 

Talia Klein Leighton, president, Canadian Women Against Antisemitism 

 

News that the Senate of Canada in mid-November hosted a Palestinian tribunal came as a surprise and a shock to many. It shouldn't have; 'Palestinian' sympathizers, choosing to be oblivious to the lethal violence Palestinians inflict on their neighbours in Israel, lingering instead on the populist narrative of Palestinian victimhood, see the current Israel-Gaza conflict in terms that Palestinian public relations pose as an aggressive 'occupier' dominating and abusing the human rights of an Arab population struggling for recognition as a sovereign nation.

 

The history of that population is that of refusing in 1947 the United Nations plan for Partition, and refusing ever since to recognize the reality of the Jewish state, while taking very opportunity to turn down negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators to reach an agreement of mutual recognition, peace and assured security, in favour of destroying Israel and taking possession of the entire Judaic ancestral geography. For three-quarters of a century those calling themselves Palestinians have launched suicide missions with a goal to kill as many Israelis as possible.

 

In that same period of time, Israel has absorbed two million Arab Palestinians as citizens able to take full part in the nation's politics, social life and business in every sphere of activity. Where Palestinians represent a full 20 percent of Israeli society, no Jews are permitted to live among Palestinians within the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, yet the world accepts the Palestinian Authority's charges that Israel is an apartheid society and that it is Israel to whom charges of 'genocide' must be attributed. Not the Palestinians whose focus is killing Jews, much less the abhorrent October 7 slaughter by Palestinian terrorists committing mass murder on a grand scale.

 

Supporters stand in front of an anti-Israel encampment on McGill University campus, in Montreal, Monday, June 17, 2024. Photo by Ryan Remiorz/THE CANADIAN PRESS

 

Canada, which the Liberal governments of the past decade have transformed in every conceivable way, including an open-doors invitation to immigrants, refugees, migrants and illegal entrants to Canada, resulting in the notable fact that circulating within the population are members of the Iranian IRGC, and terror groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, given entry visas, landed immigrant status, even citizenship. Enabled to infiltrate Canadian society, politics, institutions, academia, unions to support the 'Palestinian cause'. To the extent that the rot of their anti-Israel, antisemitic slanders have taken deep root.

 

The Senate's two-day Palestinian tribunal featured panelists who in the past were refused entry to Canada by the Canada Border Services Agency, for their denials of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, that the Charlie Hebdo  atrocities were arranged by French authorities, and that all the lethal attacks targeting Israel were fictions; their truth rather charging Israel of intentions of genocide against the hapless, helpless Palestinians, the world's most pitiable refugees.

 

Israel's ambassador to Canada spoke before the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights, along with other invited participants. A Jewish law student at the University of Alberta, Rachel Cook, described for the committee "an institutional coddling of people who have views that the administration (of universities) agree with". Her own experience of asking her university to display a menorah for Hannukah, the Jewish Festival of Lights occurring the same time as Christmas, was telling.

 

In a speech to protesters on Oct. 28, Adil Charkaoui, speaking Arabic, denounced "Zionist aggressors" and called on Allah to "kill the enemies of the people of Gaza and to spare none of them." Charkaoui's speech drew broad condemnation from politicians like Premier François Legault and groups like the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs. (Adil Charkaoui/X)

"As a Jewish student on a university campus, I did not conflate my menorah with Zionism. My institution did when they chose not to put it up."

"I'm a Canadian Jew. I'm not Israeli. I asked to display a menorah and because the institution was worried about showing support for Israel, they took the (Christmas tree) down instead of doing it (displaying a menorah alongside the Christmas tree)."

"It wasn't me that conflated Zionists and Jews. It was them."

Rachel Cook 

"[Recognizing a Palestinian state at this point, where Palestinian leaders still refuse to recognize Israel goes against the Canadian government's foreign policy that has existed for years] which is, we will recognize the state of Palestine when and only when there is a negotiated settlement, when there is a path toward democracy."

"I'm not sure that [recognition] actually has any impact on foreign policy or has any impact on what actually goes on in Israel or in Gaza."

"And it certainly doesn't help the Palestinian people. All it does is open up the Jewish community to greater hatred, to greater targeting."

Talia Klein Leighton

Senator Leo Housakos of Quebec pointed out that despite ongoing conflicts worldwide, the only one that has disrupted Canada's social peace to the extent it has, has been the war in the Middle East, sparked by Hamas terrorists slaughtering 1,200 in southern Israel, mostly civilians, and kidnapping 251 hostages, on October 7, 2023. Following which he asked Ambassador Moed where Canada stands on the global scale of combating antisemitism.

The ambassador responded that Israel is interested in knowing how official Canada is responding to the viral antisemitism being openly displayed in public. "What is being done about it?" 

 

Canada remains one of the most vulnerable western jurisdictions for infiltration by Hamas-linked operatives, and the aftermath of October 7 has deepened the country’s exposure. An anti-Israel protest in Toronto, Ontario, May 8, 2024.   Shutterstock

"Actually, some of the most dangerous terrorists that the West ever experienced came from very wealthy Arab oil countries like Saudi Arabia. The only difference [with Gaza] is poverty, and that they are very close [geographically] to the Jews. Like, for example, if Pakistan was close by, jihad would not be limited to the Palestinians."

"Terrorists, jihadists, are worldwide. What we saw, for example, in Syria, remember ISIS? Remember what happened just recently against the Druze in Syria? See what the Houthis are doing. See the barbarism of the Iraqis, for example, during the Shia-Sunni clashes. But of course, there were no headlines. Take Algeria also. I can go on and on. Look at Sudan recently."

"What I'm trying to tell you is that the entire region is ruled by tribalism. This is not only unique for the Palestinians. It's a death culture. They just find in Israel a common enemy, because they are Jews. But practically, if they don't have the Jews to kill, they will kill each other."

"But as of now, I think the vast majority of Gazans, they don't see Israel as a possible peace partner, and they don't recognize Israel. They will want a Palestinian state on the rubble of Israel."                                                                                                                  Mosab Hassan Yousef, eldest son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a founder of Hamas 

 

Mosab Hassan Yousef -- whose father co-founded Hamas -- has a new book that details his life in America. Getty Images

Dedicating himself to exposing the reality of Islamist totalitarianism and conquest, the oldest son of one of the founding members of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas which along with Hezbollah, the Houthis and other death-cult groups operates as an offshoot of the Islamic Republic Guard Corps of the Republic of Iran, Mosab Hassan Yousef has his work cut out for him. He has a large following among those who are in the crosshairs of Islamist jihad, and no doubt he is extremely aware that he is considered a traitor and worse by the very communities he was brought up in. He was thoroughly indoctrinated as a child.

 

Born in 1978 in Ramallah, he is aware the world's longest-reigning 'refugees' and their 'victimhood' saga is a parody of reality. At one time fully involved in the ideology of jihad he was in line of inheritance as an  elite leader within Hamas. And then, in late 1997 he began to view matters through the lens of reality, witness to the lethal violence unleashed by Hamas upon any whom they suspected of collaborating with Israel when so-called 'collaborators' (on suspicion; no formal much less informal trial was conducted, no evidence supporting that suspicion) would be hog-tied to the back bumper of vehicles and driven at high speed through the streets of Ramallah as a warning to all Palestinians in Gaza.

 

His conscience and his native intelligence informed him that what he saw and heard and was brought up to believe in -- an unwavering commitment to killing Jews in Israel to free up the land for the 'rightful owners' -- was a troubling perversion of reality and justice. He was recruited by Israel's internal security agency, the Shin Bet, to act as an informant; his code name, 'The Green Prince'. He worked undercover, sabotaging terrorist plans, helping to secure hundreds of lives both of Palestinians and Israelis, for a decade. Even as his father was a leading figure in Hamas.

 

Exile from his past was inevitable. He wrote a memoir, "Son of Hamas", revealing his entire story, in 2010. A later publication, from Hamas to America told of his years as a citizen of the United States, where he converted to Christianity. He has never stopped speaking up, telling the world of the dangers of Islamofascism, and in very particular his intimate knowledge of the victimhood culture of those that identify themselves as Palestinians. As an Arab and a former scion of Islamist jihad, very few have the background and knowledge his narrative describes.

 

The Jewish group Tafsik invited Yousef to speak in Toronto, and on November 19 he addressed the issue of Palestinian flag raisings in Toronto, Calgary and Winnipeg. He spoke of Canadian politicians as "hypocrites looking for votes, supporting chaos and terrorism". Supporters of Hamas and the Palestinians in their regional demonstrations against Israel are "spitting venom, taking advantage of Gaza's tragedy -- using your freedoms to destroy your freedoms". 

 

Islamists, he said, are "savages" immune to negotiation and reason. They perpetuate an "inverted narrative" using projection to accuse Israel of genocide and colonization, while they themselves are the genocidaires and colonists on traditionally Judaic ancestral lands. "The problem with the government of Canada", he stated, "is they have been platforming Palestine. This is the biggest antisemitism out there -- rewarding Palestinians for their violence, then expecting from such a government to actually be fair to the Jews. They are appeasing Muslim voters, and there is going to be consequences...they are part of the problem, not part of the solution". 

 

Photo from X, Mosab Hassan Yousef

 

"The Jihadists are going to be violent, and anyone who would oppose them or offends their religion or criticizes their religion, they are going to kill and kidnap and commit terrorism."

"This is paving the way for a new generation. Right now it's like a cancer; it's a big problem that nobody actually knows how to deal with."

"What we need is to bring the truth to the people. For example, all the allegations of occupation, of genocide, of colonization, of stealing the land from the Palestinians, these are baseless accusations. And they are very serious accusations. We need to shed light on how the Gaza tragedy was the outcome of Hamas weaponizing civilians."

Mosab Hassan  Yousef 

Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Winnipeg

 

"The Museum has allowed itself to become the tool, or dupe, of only one side of the story ad thereby betrays its duty as a national institution to provide a common and inclusive meeting and educational space on the matter of human rights."

"I think what you're seeing with the Jewish Heritage Centre is the manifestation of a fundamental breach of trust by the Canadian Museum of Human Rights."

"The factual, historical context of events surrounding the 'Nakba' are not just one story."

"In my father's founding vision of the purpose of the Museum he never had a problem with the telling of the whole story, which includes the displacement and expulsion of over 800,000 Jews who were living in Arab countries and, perhaps most importantly, that a lot of what happened was triggered by the fact that many Arab countries declared war and tried to conquer and eliminate Israel in 1948." 

David Asper, Winnipeg lawyer, businessman, trustee, Asper Foundation 

Palestine Uprooted: Nakba Past and Present  opening June 2026, Canadian Museum for Human Rights

 

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights has gone the way of all public institutions in Canada -- from the very Liberal-led government itself, to all its constituent arms of public service, from academia to unions, news media and museums throughout the country, to portray Palestinians as victims of a cruel apartheid occupation. Taking their cue from the United Nations which designated Palestinians and their offspring as perpetual refugees, the Palestinian narrative of victimhood has resonated in its pathos everywhere that kind hearts and malevolent sentiments fall victim themselves to an ongoing parody of human rights.

 

Arab Palestinians have from the very moment the United Nations announced its Partition Plan in 1947 refused the offer of a state of their own, just as they refused to acknowledge Israel's inherited ancestral right to accept that offer of two states side by side. With encouragement and incitement from the Arab world in the Middle East that refusal has lasted a lifetime and for generation after generation. Simply put all the countries of the Middle East, Islamic to the core, refused to tolerate the presence of a Jewish state in their midst, ancient and authentic as it is.

 

Bearing in mind that many Palestinians did not leave Israel, preferring to remain to this day where they have full citizenship, voting rights, occupy positions in the judiciary, in Israel's parliament, in the medical and law professions, making up 20 percent of the entire population. Circassians, Druze, Bedouin, Christians, Kurds, B'hai, and other minority groups are part of Israeli citizenry with full and equal rights. In contrast, no Jews are welcome in Palestinian areas of the West Bank or Gaza to the point of death. Palestinian leaders have over the years and continue to refuse to recognize Israel's right of existence.

 

Over the years countless opportunities arose for negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian authorities to reach an agreement for the side-by-side existence of two states; Israeli and Palestinians. While Israel has time and again made conciliatory concessions, the Palestinian side has made no concessions whatever. Instead Palestinian governments have incited their populations to hatred of Jews and Israel, infusing in them a raging will to violence, convinced that only by destroying Israel and taking possession of the entire geography will a Palestinian state be feasible. 

 

None of which makes them legitimate candidates for human rights victimhood to be forever memorialized in a museum whose function is to educate and highlight for the public at large authentic instances of human right abuses and the victims thereof. The new exhibit set to become permanent at the Museum for Human Rights in the spring of the coming year is entitled 'Palestine Uprooted: Nakba Past and Present'. Its purpose is to focus on the Palestinian 'experience' during the creation of Israel and the following Arab-Israeli war. 

 

The exhibit is an insult to reality and an assault on historical accuracy.

 

Isha Khan, CEO of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, said the Palestine Uprooted exhibit is still in development and will get the same academic and curatorial rigour as all exhibits. (CBC)

 

As for the estimated 750,000 Arab Palestinians who fled in anticipation of returning once the fledgling Jewish state was pummelled into nothingness by the combined Arab armies that marched to destroy it but failed, they have swelled in numbers to 6 million over the years, with their diaspora settling everywhere in the West engaged in slandering the State of Israel and infecting the minds of the populations wherever they settle against Jews, offering the poisoned chalice of antisemitism everywhere. 

 

And while the UN and popular opinion fixate on the 750,000 Arabs who fled with Israel's 1948 declaration of statehood, the 850,000 Jews that forcibly became refugees from Arab lands at Israel's reappearance are ignored.  

"[When the CIJA learned about the museum's intention to profile the experiences of refugees from the 1948 Arab-Israeli War], we immediately engaged with the Museum's leadership."

"We offered to convene leading experts to help ensure that any exhibit presents a balanced, fact-based, and comprehensive narrative, one that reflects the experiences of all refugees, including the more than 850,000 Jews forcibly displaced from long-established communities across the Middle East and North Africa." 

"As currently framed, the proposed direction will deliver an incomplete and unbalanced narrative, one that omits Jewish refugee experiences entirely and will carry reputational consequences for the Museum."

"To ensure the Museum fulfills its mandate, we have requested information from its leadership about the exhibit's content, framing, objectives, and development process, before any further steps are taken."

"We are actively working with our community and with partner institutions across Canada to demand accountability."

Gustavo Zentner, vice-president, Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs 

Unequal Rights of Protest and Counter-Protests in Toronto : Canadian Jews' Right of Assembly vs 'pro-Palestinian' Right to Violent Hate-Mongering

"The organizers and some of the other students had come early. I heard yelling behind me. I turned around and I saw two men charge at me. One of them was wielding a drill bit."

"[The masked individuals were yelling], Death to the IDF. Arrest him. War criminal. Kill him. Get him."

"I was talking about the war, explaining that it is not a genocide. We [the IDF] differentiate between combatants and civilians."

"[Soldiers] have been killed in battle because they spent extra time trying to differentiate between combatants [who mingle among the civilians for protective covering] and civilians. This is our policy."

Jonathen Kartem, Israeli-American Israel Defense Forces reservist

 

"Jonathan is standing there like a superhero, literally blocking them. It was a very chaotic scene."

"They weren't even relenting once the police got there. They were desperate to get in and hurt us. They were there for a purpose."

"There was no opportunity to de-escalate, have a conversation."

"They were hitting the police officers. They were striking the police. They were trying to break through the police barricade."

Shoshanah OFlaherty 

 

"Too often, there is no room for true freedom of expression on university campuses [or apparently in relation to TMU, even off-campus] unless the expression adheres to anti-Israel orthodoxy."

Criminal lawyer Mark Sandler 

IDF veteran Jonathan Karten pushes trespassing protester out of the room

 

 It was an event slated for downtown Toronto on November 5 hosted by Students Supporting Israel who had invited two IDF reservists to address the gathering, explaining the conflict in Gaza and the actions of the Israel Defense Forces. Toronto Metropolitan University, where the Students Supporting Israel are registered had refused them a venue at the last minute, so the event took place off campus. Which didn't stop anti-Israel, Palestine supporters from crashing the event, masked and keffiyeh-clad, shouting their usual invectives.

 

Guest speaker Jonathan Karten was taken aback at the intensity and violence of the invaders. The event was not known to any outside the membership of the hosting group, but somehow pro-Palestinian campus groups became aware and called for action against the private discussion. Before he really knew how to interpret what was happening, Karten found himself surrounded by people dressed in black, their gender and identities obscured. As he attempted to hold the glass door leading to the room where the all-female members of the SSI group were cowering, the glass was shattered and he sustained deep injuries to a forearm.

 

When Karten's partner OFlaherty dialled 911 the first responder seemed oblivious to the seriousness of the call. "This is a very serious, dangerous situation. You need to get people here immediately. This is not a protest, this is a lynching", she told the first responder. One of the female students with SSI was so fearful during the shouting and violence she suffered an epileptic attack (as a result of a chronic condition) and ended up in hospital. Others hid under tables while more protesters attempted to breach the barrier provided by Karten. 

 

When police arrived, in an effort to restore order while being physically attacked by the protesters, five were arrested, charged with forcible entry, unlawful assembly, obstructing a peace officer, and assaulting a peace officer. A sixth person was arrested on November 12, after a search for the individual who had smashed the glass door to the event venue. A search warrant was executed on his residence, and 26-year-old Qabil Ibrahim was charged and arrested for forcible entry, mischief, assault, and unlawful assembly while masked. 

 

IDF veteran Jonathan Karten, one of the scheduled speakers, tries to reason with a protester who sneaked into the venue before the event started

 

 Ibrahim had been previously arrested in April. A video of a protest outside the Israeli Consulate in Toronto showed him climbing onto scaffolding to set an Israeli flag on fire after dousing it with an accelerant. He scurried away from the area, and others were left with the job of putting out the flames. At the November 5 event, after he had smashed the glass door, he swiftly fled the scene there too. Obviously a committed 'protester', but one that having committed physical violence, loses no time in departing the scene of the crime.

 

Police, explained Karten, had been unable to close he main building doors while protesters continued to force their way inside. "So I went down and I helped the two police officers that were trying to close the doors." More officers soon arrived, but those already in position "were all standing around downstairs, inside, when the threat was outside and so were the attackers." Then he suggested that more men were needed outside. "But they didn't seem interested in dispersing the crowd. I think maybe they were waiting for even more men to come before they would be willing to go outside." 

 

Police push out protesters to secure the building

 

 Widespread concern with respect to the way police officers respond to the constant violence targeting Jews in the city for over two years was partially addressed by Clayton Campbell, president of the Toronto Police Association, on a radio show. He spoke of the hard work during difficult circumstances by Toronto police. He went out of his way to ask Jewish Torontonians not to blame the officers. In his view, any blame rests with the chief of police, Myron Demkiw, and other law enforcement and political leaders. 

 

And it is true, the miserably formidable pair of Mayor Olivia Chow and Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw, tolerate the violence imposed by pro-Palestinian, pro-Hamas protesters on the streets of Toronto.

 

Clearer guidelines and rules for police and demonstrators would go a long way to solving some of the problems seen where no response at all to violent demonstrations simply encourage following events to become even more violent. Toronto police have become notorious for standing by and appearing to protect protesters, while informing Jewish anti-protesters that they must move away because their presence irritates the protesters and has the effect of ramping up the level of antagonism.

Pro-Hamas mobs that march through residential streets where Jews just happen to live are incited and provoked by the presence of Jews, so they are advised to make themselves scarce. Stay in their homes and remain mute and oblivious to the protesters who scream at them to 'go back to Poland', or shout 'Final Solution', else they will be held responsible for any escalation that may occur as a result of their irritating presence that irks the protesters. 

An anti-Israel activist sprays lighter fluid on a burning Israeli flag atop wooden scaffolding during a march in downtown Toronto on Friday, April 4 2025. Qabil Ibrahim, 26, of Toronto faces arson charges Courtesy X/Leviathan

 

"Officers are fearful of making decisions because they'll be blamed for decisions that aren't supported [by police brass."

"[What is needed are clear guidelines and rules for both police officers and demonstrators. Officers are] certainly not going to put themselves into a position where they're only going to be thrown under the bus if the wrong decision is made."

Clayton Campbell, president, Toronto Police Association 

"Even if Zelenskyy wanted to sign it, he couldn't because there is no political basis for it."

"There are many non-starters there. Clearly this is a pro-Russian deal that was written by Dmitriev and Witkoff."

"It is very similar to the minerals deal. We modified it for three months [before it was signed]. But this deal is between the U.S., Ukraine, Russia and Europe, so I think it will be more like 12 months to negotiate."

"I think this is the beginning of the peace process, not the end."

"It doesn't seem like everyone in the Russian government is interested in this." 

Anonymous insider official

 

"Russia remains committed to the discussions that took place in Anchorage. We are aware of possible modifications and approved wording, but we have not received anything officially."

"There are certain considerations on the American side, but nothing specific is being discussed at the moment. We are completely open and remain open to peace talks."

Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman 

Andriy Yermak (left), heading negotiating talks for Ukraine, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Geneva on Sunday   Reuters

 

There is a palpable threat behind the latest U.S. peace proposal presented to Ukraine. A proposal that was missing a pre-presentation inclusion of the government of Ukraine and of Ukraine's European backers. This proposal reeks of Russian territorial expansionism declaring itself non-negotiable. The Kremlin and Washington appear to have decided to agree between them -- deliberately  sidelining the other involved principals from engagement -- that Russia's demands would predominate and nothing would be accomplished without Kyiv's complete surrender.

 

In fact, the proposal arrived in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's lap along with a threat; sign this capitulation plan under the guise of a 'peace proposal'  by U.S. Thanksgiving or depart empty handed with no prospect whatever for any future assistance of any kind from the U.S. administration. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy was presented to a proposal, a version of the 28-point plan by President Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, by U.S. army Secretary Daniel Driscoll.

 

A plan devised in camera between the White House special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev. A plan replete with red lines for Ukraine; a massive reduction of the size of its military, and ceding territory that Russia had not succeeded in militarily possessing. Ukraine continues to receive U.S. weapons through European partners, and the sharing of intelligence crucial to Ukraine's survival on the battlefield, supplied by the U.S., is now in contention. 

 

Unless Kyiv swiftly signs a proposal, everything could be off the table. Although Zelenskyy requested document changes, and was given the response that some changes could be countenanced, nothing has yet been advanced in that direction. The plan is for both Presidents Zelenskyy and Trump to sign the proposed plan,whereupon it would be presented to the Russian bargaining team. The signing 'timeline', stressed U.S. officials, is 'aggressive'.

 

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife Olena after commemorative ceremony for victims of the great famine in Kyiv. Photograph: AP

 

The plan envisages a full withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the fortified Donetsk region in Ukraine's east, granting Russia full territorial control despite that in close to four years of war, Russia was not able to achieve control of the entire territory. "De facto recognition would be granted Russia of control of Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk, along with areas of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia", illegally seized; conflict in these regions to be frozen n the current front line.

 

Ukraine, further, would be forced to alter its constitution to reflect it would never again seek to join the western military alliance of NATO, and at the same time agree to significantly reduce the size of the Ukrainian armed forces from its current 800,000-850,000 personnel to 600,000. As a reward for such sweeping concessions Ukraine would receive "reliable security guarantees", none of which have been outlined. The proposed settlement would also bar presence of any NATO  troops on Ukrainian soil.  

 

So there goes the European proposal for NATO troops meant to deter Russia from attacking again, to be stationed in Ukraine. European officials have balked at not having been included in the drafting of the proposal, signalling concern over the latest peace proposal while warning Ukraine's 'capitulation' is unacceptable, and that its sovereignty must be protected. Ukraine and its European allies have held out for a ceasefire pausing the war at current front lines.

 

Rescue workers clear the rubble of a house destroyed in a Russian strike in Kharkiv, Ukraine, late Sunday. (Andrii Marienko/The Associated Press)

 

Ukraine is adamant that it would not cede land not already seized militarily, to Russia, nor that it would ever be prepared to consent to reducing its military force numbers, giving Moscow a territorial-grasp advantage that would inevitably lead to another invasion. Military analysts claim Moscow lacks the military capacity for major gains, despite far outmanning and outgunning the Ukrainian side. Pointing out that sanctions are affecting the Russian budget revenue, forcing tax hikes and spending cuts.

 

With the final settlement of the proposal reintegrating Russia into the global economy, with sanctions lifted "in stages and on a case-by-case basis", included. Should Russia once again attack Ukraine "in addition to a decisive coordinated military response, all global sanctions will be reinstated" and recognition of seized territory revoked, according to the proposal.  

"The effective work of the Russian Armed Forces should convince Zelenskyy and his regime that it is better to negotiate and do so now, better to do so now than later."

"His room for manoeuvre is shrinking as he loses territory to the Russian armed forces' offensive."

"And this is not even about war: it is about forcing Zelenskyy and his regime to seek a peaceful solution to the issue."

Dmitry Peskov