A year ago I posted a piece, ‘No Tolerance for Terrorism’, in which I exclaimed my repugnance for the unspeakable barbarism of the Hamas terrorists in their perverted idea of bringing attention to the cause of Palestinian independence. They certainly got the world’s attention and at the same time opened a Pandora’s Box of troubles. Despite the polar opposite viewpoints – ‘one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter’ – I could not reconcile the views of so many Palestinian apologists – many of whom are actually native or naturalized Canadians. They claim to hold ‘progressive’ views yet chose to overlook the extreme brutality of the Hamas raiders upon innocent Israeli civilians on 2023 October 7. Despite the long and complicated history of Israel and Palestine, and whether or not Palestinians have a legitimate argument for their own sovereign state, surely the ends cannot be justified by these means – terrorism.
Terrorism is defined as, the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims; but there is a distinction to be made between a ‘freedom fighter’ [guerilla warrior] and a terrorist: The guerrilla fighter’s targets are military ones, while the terrorist deliberately targets civilians. By this definition, a terrorist organization can no longer claim that, because they are fighting for national liberation, they are ‘freedom fighters’. Even if its declared ultimate goals are legitimate, an organization that deliberately targets civilians is a terrorist organization[*].
There can be no moral equivalence in explaining away the actions of the Hamas terrorists (or for that matter the Hezbollah in Lebanon, or even the Yemeni Houthis) against Israeli citizens and interests, regardless of the [subjective] views held by Palestinian apologists. There can be no tolerance for terrorism.
And yet, despite claims to the contrary, whole swaths of Western society have expressed great sympathy for the cause of Palestinian terrorists and their funding sponsors and agencies, even in the Western democracies. The sympathizers point to the horrors of war inflicted by Israel on innocent civilians in Gaza, and now Lebanon. They fail to note that the cowardly terrorists do not fight in the open as visible combatants but instead hide in hospitals, schools and mosques, and tunnels (financed by diverted UNRWA funds), using Palestinian civilians as human shields. They do not mention that, despite this, the Israel Defence Forces have gone to extraordinary lengths to minimize collateral damage to the civilian populations of Gaza and now south Lebanon. They do not mention that Islamists have been indoctrinating Palestinian youth for generations to hate Jews and to exterminate Israel, nor that more than 70% of Palestinians support the terrorist Hamas.
In many ways, as disconcerting as these evident terrorism acts, is the response that came to the streets of Western-world countries from advocates and allies of these terrorists. For twelve months, from the day after, or even the same day of the 2023 October 7 horrors, across the West, the streets and universities, schools and institutions, have been occupied by protests and demonstrations in support of Hamas, or, in the minds of many of those same protestors, the ’legitimate’ cause of these terrorists, a free Palestine. (They fail to mention that the nomadic Palestinians have had numerous opportunities since 1948 to forge their own independent nation but chose instead to wage war on the fledgling Israel, losing every encounter, losing more territory, and refusing to agree a two-state solution.) For twelve months these supporters have disrupted the lives of so many citizens who have no direct interest in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict – blocking streets, picketing private enterprises and intimidating patrons, harassing students and their parents attending school, occupying university campuses (private property) with tent cities for months on end, and finally, escalating their anti-Israel campaigns even to anti-Canada by rending and burning the Canadian flag. These demonstrations themselves have been marked by their evident disdain of civil behaviour, never mind police impotence, and in many ways were deliberate acts of intimidation, which in itself is part of the definition of terrorism.
Many of these protestors are recent immigrants, even refugees, from these conflict-ridden Arab countries (and often backstopped by the murderous Iranian regime), guests to countries such as Canada giving them refuge. But many more are – referencing Lenin’s term – useful idiots, naïve and doctrinaire foot-soldiers, in a conflict they barely understand. Hundreds and thousands of social progressives, many of them – undergraduate students, more ardent than rational, and as many middle-aged ideologues – have taken to the streets and campuses of the nation, to the amazement and increasing impatience of ordinary citizens.
For months and months I have watched in dismay these pro-Palestinian demonstrations on continuous display through our various news media and on-line sources. To me it beggared belief that so many people, and many of those rooted in traditional western values, could so naively misjudge the true objectives of the Hamas terrorists over the legitimate aims of Zionism. And not just the desire of Jews to reconstruct their own ancient homeland, but do it in such a way as to build a thriving economy and a democratic liberal society out of a desert of destitution and despair which was the Bedouin nomadic lands, demonstrating a glittering example of what can happen when the trilogy of hard work, freedom and democratic values prevail.
More, I watched in dismay at the passivity of people, like me, sitting in front of their tv sets, or trolling their i-phones from post to post to post in x.com, and shrinking from the news, shaking their heads, and turning the channel each night to watch Wheel of Fortune or NFL football.
And then I read with some relief that in a recent National Post/Leger poll that a significant segment of respondents disapprove of the Hamas agenda and agree with Israel’s right to exist and defend itself. And that impatience and frustration with civil disobedience is increasing.
I was heartened to see thousands of people in Toronto and around the world ‘walking with Israel’ on the October 7 anniversary. I thought Justin Trudeau’s speech in commemoration of the victims of the October 7 Hamas atrocities well-written, though delivered in Trudeau’s all-too-familiar practiced earnest style. But there was no mention of the demonstrations over the last year of the illegal intimidating pro-Hamas supporters. I was impressed with Poilievre’s clear delineation of what was acceptable in Canada and what, and how, support for terrorism would not be tolerated.
And yet, I despair of myself that I sit silently in my living room doing nothing to show my solidarity for the cause of Israel to exist and defend itself; at my distress at the wanton acts of terrorist sympathizers on the streets of Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, and my own home city, Ottawa; at my frustration with our federal government to take a firm position against Islamist terrorists organizations, equivocating against clear moral positions for fear of offending any party; for my own reluctance, nay cowardliness, to engage my friends and colleagues and express my held views on the plight of Israel.
I am, in effect, part of the silent majority, my worry and lament for my my country as I once knew it taking a back seat to my natural tolerance of others’ points of view, and likely, the subliminal shunning that comes from ‘progressive’ friends who are, in my view, too willing to excuse unacceptable behaviour in our midst, in our own society.
I wish the pro-Israel movement were as well and publicly organized as the pro-Palestinian sects are. I tell myself I would attend a pro-Israel event if I knew of one in a timely way, but would I?
So I write this post to declare my views to a very small audience who may agree with me, or have contrary views, or more likely, no views at all, and tell myself I am at least postulating my principles.
But it isn’t enough. It isn’t enough only to declare, Am Israel Chai!
It isn’t enough to sing O’ Canada, and claim to stand on guard for thee. Then hope our police forces will do something about these anarchists in our streets. If we don’t also stand on guard for Israel, the risk to Canada is that the silent majority may one day find they have no Canada to stand on guard for.
Doug Jordan, reporting to you from Kanata
© Douglas Jordan & AFS Publishing
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[*] Ganor, B. (2002). Defining Terrorism: Is One Man’s Terrorist another Man’s Freedom Fighter? Police Practice and Research, 3(4), 287–304. https://doi.org/10.1080/1561426022000032060
