Liberals embrace anti-Israel MP, announce anti-Semitism summit. What's not to be cynical about?

National Post, 16 June 2021

How much hope can there be for this summit, when the convening government is part of the problem, not the solution?

For weeks the Canadian Jewish community has been calling for an emergency summit to be held to combat rising anti-Semitism. Last Friday the federal government announced it would do just that, appointing former attorney-general Irwin Cotler to head it up. Cotler now serves as Canada’s “special envoy” on anti-Semitism.

What might have prompted the government to act on Friday after weeks of dithering?

Might it have been that the federal Liberals welcomed Fredericton MP Jenica Atwin from the Green Party on Thursday?

The blowback was substantial, given that the proximate cause of Atwin’s defection from the Greens was her disagreement with her party leader, Annamie Paul. The latter’s peace-on-both-sides approach to the recent Israel-Hamas conflict was insufficiently anti-Israel.

Atwin had tweeted that were “no two sides to this conflict, only human rights abuses” on the part of Israel. “I stand with Palestine and condemn the unthinkable airstrikes in Gaza. End Apartheid!”

The Greens have now fallen into internal chaos, with the national council summoned into emergency session to explore how to oust Paul from the leadership. That eventuality was rejected Tuesday night in favour of demanding that Paul issue a ritual denunciation of … not Atwin, not the Liberals, but of Noah Zatzman, one of Paul’s former senior staff.

Zatzman, before he left Paul’s office, had blasted what he regarded as one-sided and therefore anti-Semitic criticism of Israel, including from Atwin. The Greens insist that Paul now denounce Zatzman for having denounced Atwin for having denounced Paul herself for not denouncing “apartheid” Israel. As the ball bounces, it seems as if Paul will be denouncing herself for not denouncing Israel. Presumably Paul will not be expected to denounce Zatzman for being a fellow Jew.

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