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Canada's pseudo-Christian bigot aids Israeli oppression in Jesus' name
'Woe to him who builds his realm by unjust gain to set his nest on high, to escape the clutches of ruin' Habakkuk 2:9 NIV
Published in Ahram Online on 07 - 06 - 2011

Stephen Harper, Canada's eccentric prime minister, claims to be conducting politics, including foreign policy, according to the "way of Jesus." However, it is amply clear that this man and his policies represent the exact anti-thesis of every sublime Christian ideal.
A few weeks ago, Harper, having received a telephone call from Israel's hawkish Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu, insisted that no mention of Israel's pre-1967 borders be made in the G8 Summit leaders' final communiqué.
Harper's "intervention" collided with the views of all other leaders who wanted the border line to be specifically mentioned. It also contravened thepositions of the rest of the international community.
One European diplomat reportedly remarked that "Canadians were really very adamant, even though Obama expressly referred to the 1967 borders in hisspeech last week."
Canada usedto be a decent state that jealously safeguarded human rights and internationallaw.
For many years the North American country represented a main destination for individuals and groups seeking redress after being wronged by despotic and tyrannical powers.
However, thanksto themonomaniac discourse of Mr Harper andthe coteries of obscurant evangelicals around him, Canada has effectively becomea zealous supporter of apartheid in Palestine-Israel, a defender of ethnic cleansing and justifier of scandalous human rights violations.
Harper and cohorts claim, obviously mendaciously, that supporting Israel's systematic oppression against defenceless Palestinians is a religious duty mandated by the Bible, since Israel allegedly represents God on earth and that standing against or even criticising the Jewish nation-stategoes, therefore,against the will of the Almighty.
For those who really understand the message of Christ, this is an obscenedistortionof true Christian ideals, which urge Christians to stand for justice, to be on the side of the poor, the weak and the oppressed.
It doesn't seem to matter to Harper and his government that Israeli policies and actions Canada is asked to support are decidedly evil, immoral, illegal and, in many cases, go beyond the pale of human decency.
It doesn't matter that some of these acts would be absolutely and totally viewed as felonious and criminal accordingto Canadian laws. In the final analysis what is important for thesefanatical Israel-firsters is to support Israel, whether rightor wrong, no matter what Israel says or does. This abhorrentfanaticism has a name: moral blindness - and it is done inJesus' name.
I would liketo remindMr Harper, if he isprone to logic, that no previous Canadian governments recognised the legitimacy of the Israeli occupation that started in 1967. Even today, the Canadian Justice System refuses torecognise East Jerusalem as part of Israel. So, why this mindless, unethical and evil embrace of Israelirecalcitrance?
Interestingly, Harper's government's realstance on the 1967 borders has nothing to dowith any objective viewpointpertaining to the conflict.
Under the Harper administration, Canada doesn't even say where the future borders betweenIsrael andaputative Palestinian state should lie. In fact, Harper's Canada doesn't even believe in the two-state solution, whereby aviable Palestinian state, with contiguous borders, could be established on the West Bank.
Canada's true, undeclaredstanceunder this pseudo-Christian bigot is actually the evangelical stance, namelythat those non-Jews, including thousands of Christians, have no right to human rights, political rights, dignity and civil liberties in Israel.
And incase onetries to challenge Canada'spremier on his manifestly oblique understanding of Christian values, let alone his scandalously skewed understandingof the Arab-Israeli conflict,he doesn't hesitate to quote from the the Old and New Testaments of the bible.
Within a minute he can produce a text provingthat non-Jews, presumably including thousands of Christians, living under the Jewish rule have to resign to a status of "wood hewers and watercarriers" in the serviceof the Master Race,or Chosen People. So, here we have a classical example, vintage Canada, of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, being used to promote Israel's lebensraum policies.
Indeed, in light of the ideological underpinningof his foolish embrace of Israeli fascism and jingoism, one can safely conclude that Mr Harper is effectively adopting the most racist policies of the Israeli right, including that of the settler groups, which openly offer Palestinians, including Christians, three choices: Enslavement as water carriers and wood-hewers, expulsion or Old-Testament-style physical extermination.
In his ostensibly infinite ignorance of the basic tenets of Christianity, Harper claims that the Almighty wholeheartedly supports the nearly genocidal geopolitical goals of the Israeli government. According to him, the Lord, who is portrayed as an avariciousreal estate dealer, is an enthusiastic advocate of Israeli "lebensraum" policy in the West Bank and beyond.
Under this light, Christians have to back Israel unhesitatingly and under all circumstances, irrespective of the crimes against humanity Israel is committing non-stop against the virtually defenceless Palestinians.
Of course, Harper may continue to invoke Jesus to justify his un-Christian and immoral policies toward the Palestinian plight; policies that Christ would never support if only because they contradict basic morality.
Indeed, Jesus Christ, who some settler leaders openly and shamelessly refer to as the "Hitler of Bethlehem," would be hounded and perhaps killed by the very same people Mr Harper is now supporting heart and soul.
But, alas, fanatics don't hold ideas, they are held by them.
Besides, invoking Jesus doesn't mean that one is really following Jesus' ideals. Throughout history, many evil men, who were notorious agents of inequity and oppression, thoughtor gave the impression that they were serving the Lord when, in fact, they were doing just the opposite.
I have no doubt in my mind that Harper and his government are doing just that.


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