[Marxism] Letter to Jack Layton on the Middle East

[Ernie & Jess <mackenzie.tate@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

For your information.
  Ernest Tate

Subject: FW: An Open Letter to Jack Layton: The NDP Policy on the Middle
East

From: Arif Raza [mailto:a.raza@xxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Wednesday, September 22, 2004 6:24 PM
To: Jack Layton - Ottawa
Subject: An Open Letter to Jack Layton: The NDP Policy on the Middle
East


September 22, 2004

Mr. Jack Layton, MP
Leader
New Democratic Party of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario.

Dear Jack:

On August 10, 2004, I wrote to you on behalf of over 20 New Democrats
who had serious concerns regarding the shift in NDP's Foreign Policy on
the Middle East. We copied the e-mail to Secretary Chris Watson,
President Adam Gambrione, Vice President Hassan Yussuff and Foreign
Affairs citric Alexa McDonough.

We failed to receive even an acknowledgement, let alone a response from
either you or the other Party functionaries. We  wrote again on August
20, 2004. Answering our message of August 20, you urged patience and
promised that you will respond in detail soon. Nothing came forth. We
sent you another reminder on September 1, and yet one more on September
16.

To this date, we have had no reply to our concerns, as if both the
issues raised and the undersigned, have ceased to exist.

We are therefore forced to share this message with the members of the
Federal NDP Council, Federal Caucus, and many more rank and file members
of the Party in the hope that they may persuade the Party hierarchy,
where we have failed. That is, to take the undersigned members
seriously, with respect and dignity, and address in a meaningful way the
legitimate concerns and issues raised by us.

In a post 9/11 environment where the rights of racial minorities have
already been compromised, the NDP should be the last place
discrimination is practised; one that excludes us from the decision
making process.
Regrettably, the conduct of the Party leadership seems to demonstrate
precisely that.

We, the undersigned, are members of the NDP of Middle Eastern, South
Asian, and African background, who strongly believe in the inalienable
right of Palestinians to have a viable, independent, and sovereign
state, free of intimidation and occupation by Israel.

We have stood by the Party through its good and bad times and have
contributed to its strength, both in terms of time, commitment, as well
as money, without asking for much in return. However, we do expect some
respect and dignity, and the hope that the party will stick to its roots
as a social democratic organization, committed to universal social
justice and the ability to distinguish between the victim and
victimizer.

Over the years, the Party has more or less stayed on course and despite
some lapses, has stayed true to the spirit of equity and justice.

However, lately, we have noticed a subtle yet significant shift in the
Party's stand on Palestine. This surprising shift has caused us serious
concern and is the impetus for this letter to you.

We were alarmed at the Party's silence on the building of Israel's
Apartheid Wall and the NDP's inability to condemn this serious violation
of UN Resolutions 242 and 343, as well as International Law.

Initially, we thought this omission was due to the election campaign and
a lack of resources. However, subsequent events have forced us to
believe otherwise.

The International Court of Justice in The Hague came out with a clear
and unambiguous 14-1 decision asking Israel to tear down the wall being
built on Palestinian territory. Once more the NDP maintained a
suspicious silence.

Not a word was said by either Alexa McDonough or you on Israel thumbing
its nose at the world community.

Then came the vote in the UN General Assembly where the entire world
community; the European Union; the Association of African States; the
East Asian ASEAN States; China; Russia; Latin America and traditional
rivals, India and Pakistan; in fact the whole world spoke with a
resounding voice asking Israel to tear down the wall.

Paul Martin's Liberal government, in their first act at the UN, broke
ranks with its European Allies and did not support this resolution,
rejecting the ICJ Ruling. They joined a handful of other states and
abstained.

The NDP, instead of condemning this cowardly action of the Liberal
Government, maintained a troubling silence, abandoning its traditional
support for the rule of law and Canada's Palestinian community, as if
they didn't exist or matter. The fact that some of us were directly
affected by Israel's actions, was of little concern, it seemed, to the
new NDP Caucus.

The proverbial straw that broke the camel's back, was the news that the
NDP Caucus had sent two MPs as guests of the Canada Israel Committee to
visit Israel as part of a Parliamentary delegation, without any
consultation with any of the undersigned, despite the fact that some of
us are associated with the Party's International Affairs Committee.

Had our MPs gone as an independent fact-finding mission to both Israel
and Palestine, we could have understood their motives despite knowing
the vocal pro-Israel position of the two MPs visiting Israel. However,
this pro-Israel visit was not restricted to members of Parliament. We
discovered that the President of the Party, a Toronto City Councillor,
was also part of the delegation, giving it official legitimacy.
Notwithstanding the President's individual and private effort to connect
with Palestinians in the occupied territories, we feel by traveling with
the CIC CJC sponsored group, he gives legitimacy to Israel's occupation.

We cannot imagine the NDP meeting with General Motors management without
first consulting with the CAW. Why then would it accept an invitation to
Israel without consulting or informing us; people directly affected by
Israel's occupation of Palestine.

We would like to protest this deliberate exclusion of the undersigned.
We have been deeply hurt and angered by this sudden lurch towards Israel
and the new language coming from both you and the caucus that puts the
victim and victimizer on the same plane.

We may not have reacted with such alarm, had we not come across a
document released recently by the Canadian Jewish Congress. This CJC
document states as its objective, the need to influence the Left in
Canada and to make it abandon support of the Palestinians while bringing
it closer to Israel's positions.

We are now worried that the recent tilt in the NDP towards Israel and
the abandoning of its anti-occupation constituency, has come about as a
result of lobbying and undue influence by the CJC and its partners
within the NDP.

We have no problem with the Caucus or the Executive meeting with the CJC
or any other group, but we feel we have earned the right to know what
transpires between the NDP and the CJC, as this seems to be affecting
the historical position of the NDP with respect to the inalienable
rights of the Palestinian people.

A shift that is troubling and problematic not just to Canadians of
Middle Eastern, South Asian and African ancestry, but all equity-seeking
citizens.

It has led to a numbing of the NDP leadership to Israel's human rights
violations and atrocities committed against the Palestinian people.

Some of us believe that if we have to lead a marginalized existence in a
pro-Israel political party, we might be better off elsewhere on the
political spectrum. This may not be a wise step, but it is a reflection
of the frustration some of us have with what we see as a deliberate
exclusion pattern where we are not seen as worthy enough of full
membership of this party that we all serve.

As members of the NDP who have some degree of presence within the Middle
Eastern, South Asian, African, and other visible minority communities,
we feel we have a right to know who in the NDP is liaising with the CJC.
We also need an assurance that the Foreign Policy of the NDP will be
formulated democratically by the membership of the Party and not
controlled by external lobbyists.

We ask that the Party explicitly state its position on the ICJ ruling
and the Liberal government's abstention from the vote at the UN. At the
same time the Party Leadership must explain to the party membership its
silence over these critical and historically NDP issues.

We also need an assurance that we will not be shut out of the NDP
Councils and Conventions by bureaucratic hurdles; that we will have
access to and presence in the Resolutions Committee, and that those who
chair the debates on such matters will not misuse their privileges to
silence us. We speak from past experience when we have been shut out by
rulings from the chair.
We all look forward to meeting with you, Alexa McDonough, Chris Watson,
and Adam Giambrone, so that these concerns can be addressed and we can
move forward and prepare for the next elections.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Arif Raza
Raza Majid Kayani LLP
Barristers and Solicitors
Toronto Office:
207-2131 Lawrence Avenue East
Toronto, ON M1R 5G4
Tel.: 416 752-9810
Fax.: 416 752-6356


On behalf of:
1.  Hakim Abbasi, Ottawa
2.  Jehad Aliweiwi, Toronto
3.  Zafar Bangash, Thornhill
4.  Tarek Fatah, Toronto
5.  Ikram Freed, Etobicoke
6.  Prof. Hassan Gardezi, Peterborough
7.  Dr. Qais Ghanem, Ottawa
8.  Jon Leah Hopkins, Vancouver
9.  Rizwana Jafri, Toronto
10.  Sungee John, Windsor
11. El-Farouk Khaki, Toronto
12. Mehdi Kouhestani, Toronto
13. Hanadi Loubani, Toronto
14. Ali Mallah, Scarborough
15. Monia Mazigh, Ottawa
16. Ali Naqvi, Oakville
17. Sami Odeh, Montreal
18. Munir Pervez, Mississauga
19. Frank Saptel, Toronto
20. Kripa Sehkar, Regina
21. Abbas Syed, Scarborough
22. Itrath Syed, Vancouver
23. Nargis Tapal, Toronto
24. Farkhanda Wakil, Saskatoon
25. Prof. Pervez Wakil, Saskatoon












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