Labib Farajallah - Montreal
Faycal El-Khoury withdrew a conspicuous congratulatory posting to the Israelis’ on what was termed as Independence Day from circulation after he was alerted to this publication following a wave of contacts, questioning and widespread protests.
At the time we commemorate the 74th anniversary of the Nakba of Palestine in Canada in general and in the province of Quebec in particular, we live remarkable developments which we must stop at due to the reflections they have on the progression of our communities. Such developments underscore the urgent need for our communities to participate in the political and electoral life and activities within and outside Canadian political parties, and to keep the voice heard and loud in support of the stolen rights of the Palestinian people, and to continue to work with all legal and lawful means available to us as citizens to obtain those rights.
While we consider this support to be a national objective and a humanitarian right, Canadian politicians believe that the memory of the Nakba of Palestine is the "Day of Independence" of an entity seen by many in Canada and around the world that it was established by brutal force and has robed the Palestinian people their home land and their rights; a day when these politicians are directing so-called congratulations to such entity which carry under their auspices a lot of marginalization to Canadian domestic and foreign policy and convey many messages to Israeli and Zionist pressure tools to prove good electoral intentions even if it is at the expense of the oppressed whose rights are compromised and usurped.
In this context, the social platform the Federal MP Mr. Faisal El-Khoury posted a conspicuous congratulatory note to the Israelis on what was termed ‘Independence Day’ and then withdrew it from circulation after he was alerted to this posting following a wave of contacts, questioning and widespread protest.
Through a series of communications and messages received from followers of public affairs and community issues in particular, and in the course of the tide of indignation and justification, it was learned that MP El -Khoury and his sources claimed that what happened was due to a mistake from one of the employees who posted this tweet without the permission of the MP who had in turn authorized his employee to publish all that his office receives from the Liberal Party of Canada, and thus the circle was completed, the MP did not know about it and the employee did not inform the MP.
Facing this painful incident, I want to give those concerned the benefit of the doubt and say yes, maybe something went wrong somewhere in someplace resulting in what has happened. But, at the same time, I ask: why the destination of what is wrong is always to disadvantage of the Palestinians and their supporters and not to their advantage along with the Arab community even for once since 2015?
Whoever reviews the series of events since the year 2015 concludes without any hard work that the destination of what is deemed wrong is always in one direction.
When the office of MP EL-Khoury posted a few years after his election in 2015 the logo of the Zionist movement represented by the blue hexagonal star to congratulate the Jewish community on the occasion of one of its holidays knowing that other logos or symbols could have been used to lessen the degree of alert to the feelings of other blocs of voters and more in line with the event which is the subject of congratulations; this was the mistake of the director of communications in the office of the deputy.
When expressed remorse during the 2019 elections campaign for one of the pro Israeli and Zionist pressure groups, and apologized for participation in a Community activity attended by many Canadian political figures at various levels for decades, it was the MP’s own fault this time which was followed by severing connections and contacts with most Arab community organizations and activists whose aspirations do not conform to those of the pressure groups.
When however the most resent tweet was posted, it was another chapter of repeated mistakes years ago resulting in reclining on previous record to wither off the climates of uncertainty and doubts about its causes at a time when all links had been cut with organizations and cadres to appease the tools of political and electoral repression.
In the light of the record outlined above, many constituents and citizens are very eager to witness one mistake in the direction of the rights of the Palestinian people - by way of example- to be made and then withdrawn , but let it be posted even for once.
At the time of the release of the federal liberal MP Mme. Salma Zahed positions requesting condemnation and serious investigation in the assassination of journalist Shirin Abu Aqla and when federal MP Alexander Boulerice tried to get the approval of the House of Commons to condemn the crime, and when MNA Ruba Ghazal tried to get the approval of the National Assembly in Quebec in that regard, our national deputies and our supporters of the group of MPs, MNA’s and MLA’s… etc who usually rush to ask for volunteers and electoral money were all blind and deaf before the horror of this crime and consequently the attempt of the two deputies failed.
Our communities are invited to reconsider its political and electoral orientations especially with regard to its role and participation in the political life at all levels, and be pro active in events to obtain what is rightfully theirs whereby we cannot just whip our representatives and political decision makers or even whip ourselves.
Blaming and holding parties, their officials and deputies, the Prime Minister and those around him accountable have become useless and mere echoes to futile initiatives that resonate only with the clatter in the air.
The solution is to participate effectively, to abandon indifference and staying on the sidelines of political and electoral life, and to form an influential electoral bloc that elects those who represent us, not those who only allege to represent us while they in fact represent their schemes and personal objectives.