Canada’s abrupt move to sever all ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran manifestly springs from a strong pro-Israeli sway which has permeated the political structure of the country.
Naturally, the Israelis were tremendously gladdened by this move which they saw as a ‘clarion call to action’. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the move with incredible promptitude as if he knew this act of support to Israel was sure to materialize and expressed hope that other countries would follow the example set by Ottawa.
“We have to build a wall, not of silence, but of condemnation and resolve. Canada just put a very big brick in that wall that is necessary for the peace of the world,” he said.
Enumerating the reasons for expelling Iranian diplomats and closing its embassy in Tehran, Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird deceptively alluded to Iran as a “threat to global security” and to the country’s “hostility toward Israel”. To be exact, it is Israel which has recently ratcheted up its ‘bomb, bomb Iran’ rhetoric and has made odiously indefatigable efforts in marshalling up global support against Iran’s peaceful nuclear program.
Further to that, Baird has scratched open old wounds and has refrained from directly explaining the real reasons for such an impetuous action. He accused Iran of sponsoring terrorism, of “blatantly disregarding the Vienna Convention” and criticized it for its “failure to protect diplomatic personnel”, indirectly making reference to the students storming the British embassy in Tehran and the subsequent closure of British embassy in 2011.
Not surprisingly, a statement issued by Abraham H. Foxman, pro-Israeli ADL National Director, highly praised the move, “Canada’s principled stand against the belligerent Iranian regime has set a new example of leadership, integrity and principle for the international community to emulate.”
It goes without saying that Canadian extremist Prime Minister Stephen Harper is the key to this entire anti-Iran move.
Known as the ‘Ugly Canadian’, Harper has been widely criticized for dancing to every tune of Israel and constantly throwing one-sided support behind the Zionist regime in the Palestinian issue.
In point of fact, both Stephen Harper and John Baird have time and again expressed their unconditional support for Israel.
“There is no better friend to Israel than Canada,” Baird said in speech in January.
“We shall always be there for you, and in front of you.”
In 2010, B’nai Brith’s Jewish Tribune reported on a Conservative MP’s speech to a major Christian Zionist event in Toronto. “Jeff Watson, Conservative MP for Essex, delivered greetings from Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The creation of the state of Israel fulfills God’s promise in Deuteronomy to gather the Jewish people from all corners of the world, he said.”
What further illuminates the rather dark side of this move is, to quote Stephen Harper, Iran’s support for ‘Assad’s regime’ in Syria. Mr. Harper’s paradoxical approach to the developments in the Middle East and North Africa has long been a matter of great controversy and widespread criticism. Basically, he has been a vocal critic of Islamic Awakening in the Middle East and North African regions while supporting the regimes of Bahrain and Saudi regimes in crushing popular uprisings.
His crowning mistake in foreign policy however includes the declaration of resistance groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah as “terrorist” groups, thereby cutting off financial aid to the besieged people of Gaza.
In 2011, Palestinian Authority asked the UN for recognizing a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. Palestinians hoped that the elevated stature would give them more influence in future talks with Israel. However, Harper was among the first ones who voiced his opposition to Palestine’s bid for UN recognition, saying “We view this unilateral action on behalf of the Palestinian Authority to be not helpful, and we will be opposing it at the United Nations.”
Governed as a constitutional monarchy with British Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state, Canada can be but envisaged as a country supporting colonizing regimes such as Israel and seeking to isolate the peaceful nation of Iran.
Indeed, Canada is hitching its cart to dead horses by making Washington a model of emulation in its foreign policy. Cutting ties with Iran, pandering slavishly to Israeli pressure, ignoring the plight of the downtrodden Palestinians, supporting the despotic Arab regimes in the Middle East and many other things to boot constitute only a small portion of the twisted policies of Canada’s conservative government which will be faced with eventual isolation and left with domestic and foreign debts.
