Equal Time

In 1982, I was a student at what is now known as Toronto Metropolitan University. In June of that year, Israel invaded Lebanon. The invasion was called Operation Peace for Galilee, and its purpose was to end Palestinian attacks from Lebanon and destroy the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Then, as now when Israel defends itself, the world was extremely critical of what was happening to Lebanon, and the civilian population forced to flee north.

A vocal critic in Toronto was one Stephen Lewis. Lewis had been leader of the provincial New Democratic Party (NDP). At this point, he was a commentator on TV station CITY-TV‘s CityPulse News and CKEY radio. I caught an editorial piece he did on CityPulse, which was critical of Israel and its actions in Lebanon, and called for Israel’s immediate withdrawal. I have, over the years, lamented that it did not occur to me that I could have made a call to CITY-TV, and demanded the opportunity to challenge Lewis on his assertions and allegations. After all, debate and the exchange of ideas is a significant responsibility in an open society. 

This past week, The Jerusalem Post reported that NDP national leader Avi Lewis came under fire for a comment he made regarding Canadian Jews’ role in Israel’s alleged genocide in Gaza. The name was too obvious to miss – he is the son of Stephen Lewis.  On this past Yom Kippur, he posted that, “This year I’m reflecting on the fact that we failed to do our part to stop an ongoing genocide committed in our name”. And so here is my equal time moment.

First, Avi, weep not for the civilians in Gaza. They are victims of the most unique genocide in the history of war. They are the only people whose genocide has led to an increase in their population: according to Hamas numbers,  approximately 70,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel’s invasion. Simultaneously, 140,000 thousand babies were born in Gaza. There are actually more civilians in Gaza now than before their attack on Israel. 

Second, I have said it before about others, and I will say it to you: if your call to help the civilians in Gaza is not a call to evacuate those civilians out of the war zone, then you are complicit in the war crime that Hamas is committing by hiding behind those civilians. You can call yourself out for not doing that in order to help those people. Otherwise, keep the sanctimony to yourself. 

Third, it is not we, Israel, who calls for the destruction of a people, but rather Hamas and the population it controls who call for the destruction of a people. My people. Your people. Our people.

View the expression of national identity and independence in our land as you will, but a little intellectual honesty would take you considerably farther as a human being, if not as a politician.