Israel should abandon 'road map,'Asper(National Post ) says.
Canada has role to play
Hmmmmmmmmm,,,,,
Michael Higgins and Heather Sokoloff
National Post
Wednesday, July 30, 2003
Israel should stop co-operating with the Middle East "road map" to peace because of Palestinian non-compliance and violence, Israel Asper, chairman of CanWest Global Communications, said last night.
Speaking to a Toronto audience gathered for a memorial evening to Zionist leader Vladimir Jabotinsky, Mr. Asper said he believed the road map would fail and the region would return to a full-fledged war.
"Is this a road map to peace? A road map to Heaven? Or a road map to Hell? Is it a trap or a treadmill to nowhere?" Mr. Asper said to an audience of about 200 at the Beth Avram Yoseph Synagogue in Thornhill. "U.S. Christian leader Pat Robertson has called it insanity and the end of Israel. Its supporters call it a panacea for peace.
"It may be none of these, but only because it will likely fail in its first phase and there will be a return to the full-fledged war that it has temporarily interrupted....
"One is tempted to conclude that the road map is a snare and delusion, just as was Oslo. If that is correct, then the war will continue until there is a clear victor and a vanquished."
The tribute was held on the 63rd anniversary of Jabotinsky's death. The Zionist leader founded the Jewish Legion to fight alongside the British to free Palestine from Ottoman rule during the First World War. Among those in the audience were Tina Molinari, local Conservative MPP, and Meir Roman, the Consul-General of Israel.
Mr. Asper said there could be no Palestinian state unless there was a policy change by Palestinians and Arabs toward Israel and Jews. However, there was no evidence of that.
The Arab world was dedicated to destroying Israel and the creation of a Palestinian nation would be just "another sovereign terror state," such as Iran, Iraq, Syria and Libya.
He said the road map started from the premise of "regime change," but Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian chairman -- "the master terrorist" -- was still in control of most of the security forces, was funding the al-Aqsa terrorist organization and continued to praise "homicide bombers."
He described Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Prime Minister, as a token replacement, a known Holocaust denier and a man with links to terrorism.
Mr. Asper said instead of a ceasefire, as demanded by the road map, Mr. Abbas had only been able to produce a "hudna" -- a temporary halt.
"A ceasefire with these organizations isn't worth the wind it is blown into, as history has shown."
He said terrorist activity was still on-going with an average of 12 attacks a day against Israel in the first month of the road map.
"Hudna is being used to give fighters a summer vacation while they rest, re-arm, recruit and recover from the devastating blows that have been inflicted on them by Israel.
"Israel is now entitled to call a halt to its obligations under the road map, based on Palestinian non-compliance -- and it should do exactly that.
"But, of course, it is not compatible with what President [George W.] Bush wants, heading into an election year. So, perhaps Israel will have to continue playing the game until President Bush finally realizes that he has been snookered and is able to throw up his hands and say, 'Well, we did our best; we tried, but the two sides are irreconcilable and they must obviously go at it until someone wins and someone loses.' "
Mr. Asper said Canada had a vital role to play in Israeli-Palestinian matters and called for a review of its foreign policy.
"Nowhere can we be more effective in dealing with the position of Canada vis-à-vis Israel as at the UN, where our voting record is unacceptable," he said.
Canadian Jewish groups have claimed that the Liberal government's support for Israel has often not been reflected in the way Ottawa orders its delegates to vote during numerous United Nations debates.
The groups were outraged in October, 2000, when Canada used its seat on the UN Security Council to endorse a resolution that condemned Israel's "excessive use of force" against the Palestinians, but barely mentioned Palestinian violence.
One recurring resolution that Canada has consistently supported states Israeli jurisdiction in Jerusalem is "illegal and therefore null and void."
Mr. Asper called for Canada to demand that the UN treat Israel as a full-fledged member, "not a pariah nation."
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