Genocide

Child murders

Amputations

Forced starvation

Death by neglect and illness

Hour after hour missile attacks

Demolitions of Universities, schools and houses 

Racism

Settler Colonialism

World’s largest open air prison

These are just a handful of words that are behind the blue and white Israeli flag.

Somehow major cities in Canada, including Vancouver, Toronto and Ottawa will fly Israel’s flag today to mark the 76^Th anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel.  Make no mistake: the blue and white is not the Jewish flag – as there is no such thing

It is the flag that represents the genocidal nation of Israel.  Israel is a just a country, like any other and deserves to be criticized and even shunned, for what it does and is doing. 

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim & his ABC party support Israel

Somehow the ultra-right wing mayor Ken Sim in Vancouver and his councillors – nearly all members of his reactionary ABC party —  are desperate to pay tribute to Israel.  THe first act of Sim’s city council was to pass the IHRA-WDA which makes criticism of Israel an antisemitic act.  Today marks seven months into a massacre of 35,000 women, children, babies and men.  Seven months into a cold-blooded war on Palestinians that has rendered more than 100,000 grievously injured.  In many of the photos of Gaza cities, we see people sitting in real or makeshift wheelchairs, perched on donkeys or scooters, some using sticks or branches for crutches – wandering the streets with nowhere to go because their cities and towns are in ruins.  If the Gazans are in wheelchairs, their laps are piled high with the few household goods they salvaged from the ruins of their bombed out homes.  

Not a school is standing. Fewer than 12 out of 36 hospitals are even able to treat the most simple injury.  There are no operating theatres, unless one counts the operations that take place on the blood drenched tiles of what remains of hospitals, under spot lights from cell phones.  Medications – none are available and none are allowed into Gaza according to the International Red Cross.  

It is not “fighting” that caused all this harm. 

It is not a “war” – that expression which conveys a modicum of equality between two sides.   It is the well-trained and well-brainwashed Israeli troops, the sharpshooters, the bombers, the drone operators – that caused this horror show.  And they are all Jewish. They are supported by billions of dollars in money and arms from the US, from Canada and from 40 western (or US-puppet) nations.  While 153 other countries are furious and support the Palestinian side.

I’m a Jew.  I can barely read or watch anything about Gaza without feeling shame and rage.  I’m sure you – Jew or not — feel the same way. 

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow — from socialist to shill for Israel

But what of Mayor Olivia Chow? Last time I checked, she was once a Member of Parliament for the NDP; she and her late husband, Jack Layton, were celebrated socialists. She loved to speak about the need for human rights to trump inequality.  What is her excuse for running up the bloody Israeli flag today? Can’t be about “trade”, must be about making the Jewish voters happy, make them proud to be Torontonians.  Is she merely paying respect to a mainstream Jewish constituency?  I understand she didn’t personally attend the flag raising — but she is the leader of council. The fact she bowed out does not absolve her of getting into the fray on the correct side.

And wait—what about the scores of Jews and their supporters who have been front and centre at the pro-Gaza encampment at the University of Toronto?  Hundreds of Jews have taken part in regular demonstrations on Toronto’s major streets for a ceasefire.  What about them?   Do they think the flag should be raised? 

But wait, Toronto City Hall never flew the flag for Russia, for the UK, or even –on the 4^th of July– for the US .  Turns out ,city hall councillors didn’t make the decision. It was Toronto’s chief of protocol who was given the authority to decide to fly the Israeli flag, according to the Toronto Star.  Why now? And whom does it harm – because we know whom it helps. 

In Ottawa…

Turns out Mark Sutcliffe, Ottawa’s mayor, said Ottawa’s Jewish community “deserves to hold public events without fear of threats and intimidation.”  But there is a pogrom going on – far worse than a pogrom – it’s months of deliberate and targeted murder and destruction against Palestinians.  Why does Israel deserve recognition beyond that?  

In Calgary… why is the city so tone deaf?

The City of Calgary raised Israel’s flag today as “a symbolic gesture meant to honour the people, culture and history of a country, not to show support of any political stance or conflict.” Well the city didn’t raise any other national flag in the past while — just Israel’s. What does that say to the 7% of Calgarians who are Muslim, many whose heritage is Middle Eastern. I heard the slap out here in the Maritimes.

The world is really topsy turvy – today three major cities in Canada are celebrating an ongoing genocide.  

By the way, at the Passover seder  we dip our fingers in wine and let it drop out commemorating the ten plagues visited upon the Egyptians. In progressive seders, we add new plagues like racism and misogyny.   This year, to commemorate the genocide in Gaza, we added a whole bunch more to note the depradations of Palestine.

Featured photo at the top: in the first week of Israel’s war on Gaza in October ’23, Israel dropped 6,000 bombs. In this photo, Palestinians sit outside their house after Israeli air strikes hit Rafah refugee camp in southern Gaza [credit: Hatem Ali/AP Photo]