this is an issue that evokes a lot of emotion, and for good reason. but the reality is that canada has limited options in terms of what it can do to reverse the status quo and stop the slaughter. the ndp position is based on trying to avoid an argument that is unlikely to be more than frivolous, in any substance, and merely likely to play into the conservatives' tendency to sow ignorance and confusion.

it's a little bit of a step back from the pristine moral conviction that canadians associate with the ndp. but, mulcair is in this to win. it's the correct *political* decision. canadians clearly need to adjust their expectations. this is but one of a collection of issues that long time ndp supporters are going to find themselves disappointed in.

and there's truly a lot of reasons to not like it. but, let's be coldly rational. harper is never going to move on this. if this is an issue that you want canada to play a larger role in, however limited our options are, then you're better off electing them first and trying to convince them later.

how canada votes on certain things at the un may be somewhat embarrassing, but the reality is that it matters little whether the us vetoes it with our support, abstention or dissent.

www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/08/11/morgan-wheeldon-ndp-candidates-israel_n_7973876.html

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Ron Grant
How does the NDP explain to our first nations about their blind support of Israeli settlers forcing Palestinians of their generational land ? How do they they explain that they gagged some one that stood up for the little guy. this is not my NDP.

Dov Pollock
The reason we call Jews "Jews" is because they come from Judea. The reason we call Arabs "Arabs" is because they come from Arabia. The name Palestine was given to Judea in 135 c.e. by the Roman emperor Haradian as punishment to the Jews for their uprisings against Rome. Before Judea, there were the Kingdoms of Israel and Judea and before that the Kingdom of Israel. The Jews have an unbroken physical and spiritual connection to their homeland which extends back some 3,500 years. In 350 c.e. the Jerusalem Talmud was completed. A marriage contract (Ketuba) for a Jewish couple in northern Israel from the year 1023 c.e. may be found at the Israel National Library in Jerusalem. At the end of the 16th century the Ottoman Sultan ordered some 1000 Jews from the land of Israel to Cyprus. The 1834 c.e. census for Tzfat (Safed) in Israel's northern Galilee shows a population of 6000, equally devided between Jews and Arabs. A census of Jerusalem taken a few years later shows that the Jews make up the largest population by a large plurality. Later they would be seen to make up a clear majority. The simple fact is that alone among all the ancient peoples, the Jews exist until today. They live in the same country that they lived in three thousand years ago, with the same name (Israel), with the same capital (Jerusalem), speak the same language (Hebrew), pray to the same God and follow the same Jewish scriptures (Torah) of three thousand years ago. Israel is the generational homeland of the Jews and the Jews are the ideginious population.

Jessica Amber Murray
the biggest point that you're missing is that palestinians are cultural arabs, not genetic arabs. they are genetic hebrews. something similar could be set of the lebanese, who are genetically phoenician, but converted to islam - and are not genetic arabs. arab is a complex term, and it's used interchangeably in complex ways that often don't make a lot of sense to people outside the region. but, the difference between "cultural arab" and "genetic arab" is roughly similar to the distinction between "hebrew" and "jew".

the palestinians are consequently not invaders to the region, as you appear to be implying. they are the descendants of the jews that you speak of, but they converted to islam at some time in the past. the name "palestinia" comes from "philistinia" (the ones david took on in the bible myth), and was indeed used to rename the area in an attempted roman genocide. the romans carried out several genocides, the worst of which was probably in carthage. but that doesn't change the reality that the palestinians are not genetic arabs - they are genetic hebrews, and cultural arabs.

it follows that they have an equal claim to the region. and, this is the point that needs to be addressed to get to a reasonable solution. the two-state solution is no longer a serious policy option, and hasn't been for upwards of fifteen years. there's just nowhere left to put it. the last gasp attempts to create a two-state solution required uprooting large amounts of jewish settlements, which is something that is not going to actually happen on the ground, and really shouldn't happen.

a state of israel needs to be built around the historical reality that some hebrews are jews and some hebrews are muslims and modify it's laws to allow for equal citizenship, equal land ownership and equal rights.

a one-state solution is the only serious option on the table. it can be a state where jews are granted special rights due to their religion, or it can be a state where all citizens have equal rights. and only the latter is sustainable.

from a historical perspective, i don't see anything that is factually incorrect about this former candidate's position. and it's both alarming to see him snuffed out and disorienting to see how out of touch the ndp leadership is on this position. but, i understand it's a pr decision by a party that would rather avoid frivolous battles of this nature than engage in them.