Eggleton speaks out in defense of Israel:
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the anti-Israel petition that was filed in the House on March 31 by the member for the riding of Quebec.
There is no connection between Israel’s struggle with suicide bombers and Saddam Hussein’s many years of non-compliance with UN inspections. Israel is a democracy and an ally in our campaign on terrorism.
The fundamental cause of the ongoing crisis in the disputed territories is the reluctance of the Palestinian side to accept Israeli existence, to renounce a strategy of terrorism and compromise, something that I hope will happen with the new Palestinian prime minister.
Israel has the responsibility to protect its people from suicide bombers. It is careful to minimize civilian casualties, and the allegations of Israeli massacres are fabrications.
Israel proved its commitment to peace at Camp David in July 2000 when it put forward a two state solution. Yasser Arafat responded with a strategy of violence. Terrorism cannot bring peace to this region, and Canada must stand by its Israeli allies in our campaign against this global threat.
This statement was published by the CJC as part of its regular reporting on issues discussed in Parliament that affect its constituents. It’s nice to see someone besides the Canadian Alliance making a strong pro-Israel statement for a change.