(Ottawa) Activists from the New Democratic Party (NDP) are preparing to present emergency resolutions in response to the war between Israel and Hamas at their convention which begins Friday. Other proposals on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict had been ruled out by activists before Saturday’s attack.
One, proposed by the NDP socialist caucus, called for sanctions against the Israeli state until the country “ends its illegal occupation of Palestinian territories, dismantles the apartheid wall , allow refugees to return home, end the demolition of Palestinian homes and fields, lift the siege of Gaza and end all political practices of apartheid.”
Activists were expected to prioritize 60 resolutions last week from among the several hundred that had been submitted. They chose to exclude those on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict last Thursday, a few days before the Hamas attack in Israel. Activists are now working on the text of emergency resolutions in response to the events. They have until Friday noon to submit them.
“This is something that I have been saying for years within the party, the security of Israelis requires the security of Palestinians,” said in an interview the co-president of the Quebec section of the NDP, Niall Ricardo, who is of faith Jewish.
“When we blockade the Palestinians, when we keep a territory like Gaza – the most densely populated in the world – like a literally open-air prison, we must understand that the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, with far-right elements, has created a situation of enormous danger for the Israeli people with the consequences that we saw on Saturday morning,” adds the man who is also a volunteer for the Independent Jewish Voices organization.
He had submitted one of the rejected resolutions which accused Israel of imposing apartheid on Palestinians in the occupied territories. This type of speech is denounced by Jewish organizations such as B’nai Brith and the Advisory Center for Jewish and Israeli Relations.
The debate is already causing a stir within the New Democratic family. A member of the Ontario legislature, Sarah Jama, had to apologize after calling for an end to Israel’s apartheid towards the Palestinians without condemning Hamas attacks.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict “has the potential to derail debates and monopolize attention,” according to former NDP national director Karl Bélanger, now president of Traxxion Strategies. “It’s a very sensitive debate which does not necessarily lead to reasonable discussions,” he argues.
“It’s sure that it brings up a lot of emotions,” admits the deputy leader of the NDP, Alexandre Boulerice, in an interview. We are really about de-escalation and protecting Israeli and Palestinian civilians. Hamas is a terrorist entity. It’s terrible what they did, but we don’t want Gaza to be razed either. »
The word apartheid did not appear in the NDP statement issued Monday. The party’s foreign affairs spokesperson, Heather McPherson, denounced both “Hamas’ terrorist attacks against thousands of innocent Israeli civilians” and “Israeli bombing of homes and civilian infrastructure in Gaza.” .
“Canada must urgently insist that Israel respect international law and protect the lives of innocent Palestinian civilians who bear no responsibility for Hamas’ terror,” she said.
Niall Ricardo said he was satisfied with this position. “We are no longer under Thomas Mulcair,” he said. Today, we have a truly just and equitable policy in the face of the conflict for both the Israelis and the Palestinian people. »
Another emergency resolution supported by 24 riding association presidents could give rise to heated discussions on the agreement reached by the New Democrats with the Liberal government. These activists want New Democratic leader Jagmeet Singh to tear up the deal if the Liberals’ drug insurance bill does not provide for the creation of a “universal, comprehensive and entirely public” program.
The NDP convention is the last before the next federal campaign. Ten of the 60 resolutions that were prioritized relate to the cost of living. One wants to force large companies to “disclose the ratio of their CEO’s salary to the average employee salary.”
Another wants to modify the governance of the Bank of Canada by adding “a representative with union experience” to its monetary policy review committee and broaden its mandate by forcing it to consider full employment, price stability and “ the pursuit of economic equality” before deciding to change the key rate. More than 1,200 activists are expected in the city of Hamilton, Ontario.