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While these facts are well known to most Israelis, when Jimmy Carter published his book in 2006 naming it Apartheid, North Americans were appalled, and the Jewish institutions up in arms to defend Israel. Since then Israel has started two vicious wars (Lebanon, 2006, and Gaza 2009) in which thousands of Palestinian and Lebanese civilians were targeted, opening Israel to criticism by the international community. I have sadly come to the conclusion that the state of Israel does not serve even the interests of its own citizens … Furthermore, while much anti-Israel sentiment has been expressed in the Arab world, none of it can fall under the rubric of old European anti-Semitism, or its milder North American version.

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Letter to Queen's University Administrators about IAW

February, 19, 2009

Dear Principal Williams and Vice-Principal Deane,

I am writing to you as a concerned faculty member, worrying about the way in which criticism of the State of Israel has been lately silenced in and around Ontario universities, under the charge of anti-Semitic activity. Since the situation has polarized greatly in the last few days, and might intensify in the next couple of weeks as campuses gear up to Israeli Apartheid Week, I feel urgency in communicating with you in the hope that my letter helps maintaining an open environment here at Queen's.

I am a dual citizen of Israel and Canada, and I have been active in pursuing a just solution to the Palestinian-Israeli impasse - a solution that will enable Israelis and Palestinians alike to live side by side with dignity, freedom, and self-determination. Sadly - and despite the appearance of the 1993 Oslo peace accord -- Israel has increased its forms of oppression of the occupied Palestinians, to the point that the occupation seems permanent, but the Palestinians have no rights to vote, move freely, obtain education or medical care, without Israel's permission. Even the infamous "withdrawal" from Gaza in 2005 was only a dismantlement of settlements, but the Israeli army controls all the land borders, the sea and air access, and even the electricity supply. Put bluntly, this system is Apartheid and the 680km wall Israel has nearly finished erecting in the West Bank indicates that Israel is intending on keeping it as long as it can. While these facts are well known to most Israelis, when Jimmy Carter published his book in 2006 naming it Apartheid, North Americans were appalled, and the Jewish institutions up in arms to defend Israel. Since then Israel has started two vicious wars (Lebanon, 2006, and Gaza 2009) in which thousands of Palestinian and Lebanese civilians were targeted, opening Israel to criticism by the international community. I have sadly come to the conclusion that the state of Israel does not serve even the interests of its own citizens, (the reasons behind this are too long to cover in a letter of this nature). In 2005 organizations that care about a future for the people of the region started Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) in Toronto. The event has since grown to encompass some six dozen cities around the world. But in the past few weeks we have seen an increased attempt to suppress the events of IAW in campuses in Ontario. B'nai Brith published an ad in the National Post, which addresses you. The ad reads:

"Presidents of Canadian universities must demonstrate leadership. They must come forward to prevent Israeli Apartheid Week, an event that has become notorious for promoting hatred against the Jewish State and its student supporters here at home. They must stand up to the daily ongoing anti-Jewish agitation that has taken root on campuses across the country. Boards of governors, professors, alumni and benefactors must also act now."

Bnei Brith here unfortunately conflates a criticism of a state with racial hatred of an entire people. While Israel would like to see itself the sole home of Jews world-wide, most Jews prefer to live els