Oh, Canada

For the past 50 years, American anti-war activists have threatened to move to Canada when they disagreed with government policy or a sitting president. I never quite understood that position until today.

Reuters reports:

DEAUVILLE, France (Reuters) - Group of Eight leaders had to soften a statement urging Israel and the Palestinians to return to negotiations because Canada objected to a specific mention of 1967 borders, diplomats said Friday.

The government has adopted a staunchly pro-Israel position in international negotiations since coming to power in 2006, with Prime Minister Stephen Harper saying Canada will back Israel whatever the cost.

Diplomats involved in Middle East discussions at the G8 summit said Ottawa had insisted that no mention of Israel's pre-1967 borders be made in the leaders' final communique, even though most of the other leaders wanted such a reference.

The communique called for the immediate resumption of peace talks but did not mention 1967, the year Israel seized the West Bank and Gaza from Jordan and Egypt during the Six-Day War.

Americans often view Canada as our little sister, protected by its proximity to a superpower, sharing (in the main) the same language and culture, and taking the same geopolitical stance. But that was then.

In a compelling rebuke to the anti-Israel stance taken by President Obama in his recent “1967 borders speech,” Canada rejected the notion that negotiation begin with tangible concessions by Israel while the Palestinians are asked to do nothing. Unlike our President, who appears stuck in a Left-wing ideology that demonizes Israel, Prime Minister Stephen Harper took a remarkable stand, and he won. Unlike our President who gave a speech and then needed to “clarify” it once the uproar began, Harper was unequivocal in his support of the tiny Jewish state in the midst of a 100 million Arabs.

Harper, unlike Obama, stood by a long-time ally, a staunch Western democracy, and the only bright spot in the Middle East. Obama threw Israel under the bus and then needed to “clarify” his positions by weaseling the meaning of his words. To be honest, it seems that Barack Obama is more interesting in appeasing 100 million Arabs (ironically, he failed at doing even that) than remaining true to our ally and friend.

So now I get it. In a gesture that can only be characterized as anti-war (because rest assured, the current stance of this administration will lead to war), I’d like to move to Canada.

Yeah, I know, it’s an empty gesture and I won’t really do it. I like the USA too much. It’s just the mistaken policies of current president that I have trouble with.