Blog : Ragazou

By ANDY LEVY-AJZENKOPF, Staff Reporter (CJN)

 

TORONTO ? Israel will survive the vitriol and opprobrium that's been directed at it by much of the international community over the last couple of weeks, because its actions in the face of Gaza blockade-runners are both just and necessary.

Amir Gissin

 

That's the message more than 700 people heard at Adath Israel Congregation on the evening of June 7 from Israel's consul'general for Toronto and western Canada,?Amir Gissin, who discussed Israel's response to current world opinion.

 

The event, organized by UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, was billed as a ?community briefing on the Gaza flotilla confrontation' and aimed to highlight ways to combat negative perception caused by the May 31 high-seas confrontation .

Other speakers at the briefing included Col. Richard Kemp, former commander of British'forces in Afghanistan; Bernie Farber, CEO of Canadian Jewish Congress, and Noah Kochman and Rebecca Cherniak of the Canadian'Federation of Jewish Students.

 

Speaking to The CJN'last week, summing up his thoughts on his presentation to the community, Gissin encouraged those who may be feeling despondent about Israel's portrayal on the world stage to ?cheer up.?

 

Israel, he said, has had its share of ?serious problems' in the past and has always triumphed over adversity through its own strengths and the ?unshakeable support'?of the worldwide Jewish community.

 

?Despite the fact that this [Gaza flotilla] situation is perceived as a serious public opinion crisis' Israel's belief in its right to self-defence remains steadfast, he said.

 

In addition, Gissin reminded the community that Israel has been fighting two concurrent wars for many years.

 

The first is in the form of ongoing military operations on the ground in Israel. IDF skirmishes with, and defensive manouevres against, Hamas, Hezbollah and other terrorist groups in the region represent the more overt front of these wars.

 

The more insidious front comes in the form of an all-out public relations war, he said.

 

?This concept of Israel always using excessive power is unfortunately a narrative that our enemies are working very hard to establish,? he said. ?In this sense, the [Gaza flotilla raid] played into their hands. We should assess this and understand that this is also a war, like the physical one, and fight back similarly.?

 

To do that, Gissin said he suggested that Israel and all of its supporters should continue to distribute material such as video, still photos and information ?that prove the real intention and ruthlessness of our enemies. Expose the connection between' terrorist organizations, Iran and those on the flotilla.?

 

Iran, he said, is working diligently to deflect attention away from its pursuit of nuclear weapons, and the Gaza flotilla has become the perfect way to distract the world's attention away from its own plans.

 

In his remarks, Farber declared that the Jewish community will never ?accept the fantasy' that Israel is a ?devil state,? as its detractors portray it.

 

?We will not accept the explicit notion that Israel is forbidden to protect itself, nor will we accept the implicit notion that the only good Jew is a subservient one, or a dead one. We will not accept the notion that the rules which apply to every other nation in the world are somehow suspended in their application where Israel is concerned. We have the right to defend ourselves from those who would do us harm,? he said.

 

Gissin said it was important for Canadians to remember that within the last month, two events highlighting Israel's importance to Canada took place.

 

The first was Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty's economic mission to'Israel. The trip was portrayed as a great success by the premier, with businesses from Ontario's health and science sector signing numerous memorandums of understanding and contracts with Israeli counterparts.

 

The second was the working visit to Canada last month by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the first such visit by a sitting Israeli premier in 16 years.

 

?These [events] emphasize how much our two countries have in common, how much potential there is for mutual economic co-operation and how much Israel is relevant to Canada in terms of commerce, culture and social development,??Gissin said.

 

He added that although ?at this moment in time' Israel is seen through the prism of the Gaza flotilla clash, ?time will pass and we'll continue to build on the strong foundations that were lately developed.

 

?We have to be patient and remember that here in Toronto, people are constantly being exposed to the virtues of Israel and we will recover from the international condemnation being unjustly levelled at us. We will prevail and return quickly to a time where the positive qualities of Israel will be exposed.?