‘Abiding’ by a disgraceful ICC ruling puts Canada on the wrong side of history.
Let’s not mince words:
The ruling by the International Criminal Court calling for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu & former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant is pure antisemitism.
Here’s why:
On October 7th, 2023, Hamas terrorists launched a brutal terror attack against Israel. In addition to killing over 1,000 Israelis, Hamas took 251 people hostage – many of whom have since been murdered by the terrorist organization.
In response, Israel did what any credible and capable nation would do – sought to eliminate the terrorist organization that committed such heinous crimes against its citizens.
Remember, the war could have been brought to an immediate end had Hamas surrendered and handed over the hostages.
Hamas refused to do so, choosing to exacerbate their initial crime by spending over a year brutalizing hostages and using Palestinians as human shields.
Hamas leaders openly espoused their genocidal aims and their desire to destroy Israel completely.
Hamas was – and is – backed by the Islamic regime in Iran – an oppressive theocratic fascist state that is one of the world’s leading state sponsors of terror.
Hamas has made use of weapons provided by Russia – another fascist state that sponsors terror groups and is an avowed enemy of the free world.
Thus, Israel faces a genocidal enemy backed by some of the world’s worst regimes.
In fighting against Hamas, Israel has repeatedly sought to provide safe corridors for civilians, has issued warnings before airstrikes, has treated prisoners humanely, and has offered many reasonable peace proposals.
Hamas has repeatedly rejected those proposals.
It is also important to keep in mind that Israel has the capability to destroy both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and push the population of both territories out of the area entirely, yet Israel chooses not to do this.
This is despite the fact that there are historical precedents for widespread population resettlement following the defeat of fascist genocidal regimes.
After fascist Germany was defeated in 1945, millions of Germans were expelled from what was then Eastern Germany as the territory was transferred to Poland (which was controlled by the Soviet Union).
There was little sympathy for the Germans at the time, given that Germany had undertaken a campaign of genocidal conquest across Europe.
This is an example of the fact that actions have consequences. Just as the German People voted for a genocidal government, the people of Gaza voted for Hamas – an openly genocidal terrorist organization. When a genocidal organization takes control of a country or region, uses the resources of that country or region to try and wipe out an entire group of people, and is then stopped from achieving that horrendous goal, there are consequences.
Israel’s response to Hamas’s genocidal campaign has mirrored the Allied response in WW2, with a large-scale strategic bombing campaign, a ground invasion to seize key territories, and the elimination of top genocidal leaders. The fact that Israel is unlikely to end up seizing much – if any – territory post-war means their efforts are in many ways more restrained than the Allies were in the campaign to defeat the Axis.
All of this is to say that Israel has acted well within the norms of warfare, and has acted in a way that any liberal democracy would act when facing such horrendous crimes committed against their people by a genocidal terrorist organization.
And yet, the International Criminal Court – in a disgraceful ruling – has chosen to lump Israel – the liberal democracy defending itself – in with Hamas – the genocidal terror group trying to destroy Israel.
In their ruling, the ICC called for the arrest of the Israeli Prime Minister, former Defence Minister, and the military commander of Hamas.
Israel leaders are being treated as criminals for daring to fight back and survive. This would be like calling Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill criminals for resisting the Axis powers or calling Ukrainian leaders criminals for fighting for the survival of their nation in the face of Russia’s invasion.
It is a total moral inversion, and it is being rightfully denounced:
The message being sent by the ICC is simple: Israel is expected to roll over and let genocidal terrorists do whatever they want.
Israel obviously rejects this horrible inversion of morality, and all free and democratic nations must reject it as well, not only because standing with Israel is the right thing to do, but because it’s in our interests to ensure that free countries can use force to respond to genocidal terrorists and authoritarian regimes.
Justin Trudeau abdicates Canada’s position of moral leadership
Canada has long been one of the world’s ethical and moral leaders. That’s not to say we are perfect, but compared to much of the world, our citizens are generally freer and more prosperous than most. And when it comes to standing up for what is right, Canada has excelled.
We welcomed freed slaves, we fought for freedom in WW1 & WW2, we stood with the free world against the Soviet Union during the Cold War, we stood against apartheid, we fought against terrorism alongside the United States, we have long welcomed oppressed people from around the world, we have stood with Ukraine, and we – until recently – were a staunch ally of Israel.
But now, Justin Trudeau is putting our moral leadership at risk, and perhaps squandering it entirely.
Rather than stand up for what’s right, Trudeau has chosen instead to stand with the deeply immoral ICC ruling:
“Disgraceful comments today from Justin Trudeau suggesting Canadian authorities would arrest Israeli PM Netanyahu.
This ill-considered endorsement of the ICC’s politically motivated actions is a slap in the face to our ally and to every innocent Israeli still being held hostage.
We stand with the people of Israel and support their right to self-defense against terrorism. The actions taken by both the ICC and Justin Trudeau should be condemned as a dangerous precedent that threatens global stability and the principles of international law.”
The Canadian Prime Minister is saying he will arrest the leader of a fellow democracy for the ‘crime’ of fighting back against a genocidal terror group. By doing this, Trudeau is not only further fueling antisemitism in Canada – which has surged on his watch – but also taking a stand that would embolden genocidal terrorists and anti-freedom regimes around the world.
On this issue, Canada is now aligned with the Islamic regime in Iran, something that is deeply tragic to write:
History will not look kindly on Justin Trudeau’s cowardice. At times like these – times when the world is in conflict and evil forces are stirring – each of us faces a stark choice:
We can take the ‘easy’ path of going along with those who give in to evil, or we can stand up for what’s right even when it comes at a significant cost.
By siding with the ICC, Justin Trudeau has chosen the former path. The Canadian People must have the courage to choose the latter.
Spencer Fernando
Photo – Twitter
