Harper wants NDP to fire deputy Libby Davies for criticism of Israel

[Timothy_Fitzpatrick]

Press Release by Liberal Party of Canada

OTTAWA – Liberal Foreign Affairs Critic Bob Rae made the following statement today on the comments of NDP Deputy Leader Libby Davies in regard to the State of Israel.

Ms. Davies is widely reported to have said "(the occupation started in) '48. It's the longest occupation in the world." She also stated she supported boycotts, divestments and sanctions against Israel.

"The comments of Ms. Davies are more than just a 'serious mistake,' as the Leader of the NDP now maintains. To deny the State of Israel's right to exist and to propose an international campaign of boycotts, divestments and sanctions against a legitimate member of the world community for over sixty years is to reveal a level of hostility and ignorance that is truly breathtaking.

"These are not the off-the-cuff ramblings of any ill-informed or biased person. Ms. Davies is the Deputy Leader of a political party that aspires to reflect and represent the views of Canada on the international stage. In this role, fully cognizant of her responsibilities, she stated that Israel has been occupying territories since 1948, the year of its independence. The logical implication of these comments is that Israel has no right to exist.
 
"She called this 'the longest occupation in the world.' That is simply untrue, and reflects a complete disregard for the facts.

"This is a position that is more than just 'unacceptable.' This rhetoric is responsible for more than 'confusion,' and an 'inadvertent error," as Ms. Davies now suggests.

"The appropriate decision, given her stature and responsibilities with the NDP, is for Mr. Layton to ask for her resignation as Deputy Leader and for Ms. Davies to issue an apology to all Canadians. Nothing short of that will do."

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Contact:

Office of the Hon. Bob Rae, MP, 613-992-5234 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              613-992-5234      end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              613-992-5234      end_of_the_skype_highlighting

[Timothy_Fitzpatrick]

Update:

Tuesday, June 15, 2010 5:10 PM
Harper wants NDP to fire deputy Libby Davies for criticism of Israel

Stephen Harper called NDP House leader Libby Davies an extremist and then compared her to Helen Thomas, the long-time White House correspondent who was forced to resign recently over controversial remarks about Israel.

He didn't stop there.

He demanded that her boss, NDP Leader Jack Layton, fire Ms. Davies, a Vancouver MP, who is also the party's deputy leader, over remarks she made that questioned Israel's right to exist.

"I am looking forward to seeing the Leader of the NDP get up and unequivocally distance himself from the comments of his House leader and his deputy leader that have called Israel's existence an occupation," said Mr. Harper. "This is a fundamental denial of Israel's right to exist. It repeats the kinds of comments that were made by Helen Thomas on which she was forced to resign, and the member of the NDP who said that should be forced to resign as well."

It was a firey Question Period Tuesday, with the Prime Minister lashing out at Mr. Layton, who was trying to needle him about the deal reached between the Liberals, Bloc and the government over the release of the Afghan detainee documents.

The NDP walked away from the negotiations Tuesday morning, saying that they were a joke and the public would not be getting to the truth of whether there was torture of the prisoners.

[youtube:2zaneowt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utXDAha_vGg[/youtube]2zaneowt]

"The coalition of the unwilling is on the march, unwilling to let members of Parliament do their jobs, unwilling to give them access to all of the documents that are necessary to be revealed ... and unwilling to get to the bottom of the role that was played by both Liberals and Conservatives in covering up what they knew about torture in Afghanistan," charged Mr. Layton.

"Is the Prime Minister not ashamed about having put together this coalition of the unwilling to prevent the truth from becoming known to all Canadians?"

He never got an answer. What he got instead was a lot of heat and anger from the Prime Minister, who demanded Mr. Layton distance himself from Ms. Davies's remarks.

Mr. Layton did just that: "No one in our party has ever denied the right of Israel to exist."

Ms. Davies provoked this uproar after she gave an interview at an anti-Israel protest earlier this month, in which she said the Israeli occupation began in 1948.

It's a lengthy interview, which has been circulating around political Ottawa on Youtube.

The imbroglio over the Davies remarks, however, was not the only tension during the 45-minute session. The Liberals made sure of that.

They were again grilling the government about the hundreds of millions of dollars being spent on the two summits that will take place over three days next week.

Both Toronto Centre Liberal MP Bob Rae, who led off the questioning for an absent Michael Ignatieff, and Public Safety critic Mark Holland accused the government of running up costs because it sole-sourced contracts.

"The real question is we have an extraordinary number of contracts being let without tender and without competition, single-source contracts. We have to recognize the degree of the problem," charged Mr. Rae.

"My question for the Prime Minister is really a very simple one: Is he prepared to accept any degree of responsibility on his part, on the part of his government, for all the changes that took place, all the shifting of ground that took place for the change of venue?"

The Prime Minister was not; he said Mr. Rae was making "false" statements.

Mr. Holland tried the same line of questioning, charging that the costs were run up because of the two venues — Huntsville for the G8 and Toronto for the G20 _ and the lack of competition in awarding contracts.

"More than 85 per cent of the contracts the government has doled out were sole-sourced," he said. "Why? Who is getting these contracts and what connections do they have?"

Public Works and Government Services Minister Rona Ambrose said that "professional public servants" are managing the process, and it is being done fairly.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/pol ... le1605386/

[Rory27]

Its Time To Fire Harpers Stank Ass!!!...        

[Timothy_Fitzpatrick]

Its Time To Fire Harpers Stank Ass!!!...        

I'm thinking fall election. Just as long as the Afghan detainee torture is fully disclosed. But don't count on the Libs to make that happen.

[Rory27]

I'm thinking fall election. Just as long as the Afghan detainee torture is fully disclosed. But don't count on the Libs to make that happen.

...Ow,while im well aware he/they needs to go,im also well aware most,if any of the alternatives aren't truly any sort of help in the least...My only thought on the canadian political scene is that,for once,we might as well let the green party have a kick at the can of messing things up,seeing how everyone else has had there fair chance...LOL... :sick:

[Timothy_Fitzpatrick]

I'm thinking fall election. Just as long as the Afghan detainee torture is fully disclosed. But don't count on the Libs to make that happen.

...Ow,while im well aware he/they needs to go,im also well aware most,if any of the alternatives aren't truly any sort of help in the least...My only thought on the canadian political scene is that,for once,we might as well let the green party have a kick at the can of messing things up,seeing how everyone else has had there fair chance...LOL... :sick:

Green Party are Illuminati - the phony environmental movement scheme. They would tax the shit out of us and implement national carbon taxes up the ass.

[Rory27]

Hopefully your able to detect sarcasm and disdain without mistaking it for ignorance...You and me should not need to 'debate/argue' anything when were both coming from a stand point of agreement...Obviously naming ANY other 'official party' as 'leader' will NOT bring any proper change to this country/world,as time it self has proven...

Not everyone who 'cares about the environment' is somehow an 'illuminati agent',And harper/campbell don't need ANY HELP from anyone else to hijack taxes,and do there best to sell out this country/province to nothing but American/Foreign interest...

One would 'fleece' us supposedly for the benefit of our infrustructure and enviremental sustainability,While the other has allready proven willing to 'fleece' the people for Olympic Games,G8-G20,commitment to combat, in order to change the view ON us from the outside world...

Like i said,i am well aware this system needs to change from the ground up,My response to the article you posted wasn't a request to be educated/'corrected',and after all,you DID say "I'm thinking fall election.",which seems to show you have some sort of misguided illusion of faith of your own in one or another party...thats the whole problem,just as you deduced with the Greens,Each and every party has a 'phony movement sheme'...

[Timothy_Fitzpatrick]

Hopefully your able to detect sarcasm and disdain without mistaking it for ignorance...You and me should not need to 'debate/argue' anything when were both coming from a stand point of agreement...Obviously naming ANY other 'official party' as 'leader' will NOT bring any proper change to this country/world,as time it self has proven...

Not everyone who 'cares about the environment' is somehow an 'illuminati agent',And harper/campbell don't need ANY HELP from anyone else to hijack taxes,and do there best to sell out this country/province to nothing but American/Foreign interest...

One would 'fleece' us supposedly for the benefit of our infrustructure and enviremental sustainability,While the other has allready proven willing to 'fleece' the people for Olympic Games,G8-G20,commitment to combat, in order to change the view ON us from the outside world...

Like i said,i am well aware this system needs to change from the ground up,My response to the article you posted wasn't a request to be educated/'corrected',and after all,you DID say "I'm thinking fall election.",which seems to show you have some sort of misguided illusion of faith of your own in one or another party...thats the whole problem,just as you deduced with the Greens,Each and every party has a 'phony movement sheme'...

Dont have any vested interest in the parties. Electoral reform is needed and they are avoiding proportional representation like the plague.