On January 3, 2021 The Guardian published an article online regarding Israel’s exclusion of Palestinians from the rollout of vaccinations in the West Bank. That same day, two NDP Members of Parliament, Charlie Angus (Timmins-James Bay) and Leah Gazan (Winnipeg Centre), shared the article on social media. B’nai Brith and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), among others, attacked the Members of Parliament, alleging that their criticism of Israel was antisemitic, as defined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)’s definition of antisemitism.
The United Jewish People’s Order (UJPO)-Toronto applauds and supports Charlie Angus and Leah Gazan for their willingness to speak out on Israel’s violations of Palestinian human rights and for sticking to their principles while under attack. UJPO-Toronto is concerned about the use of the IHRA definition of antisemitism to shut down discussion, debate, and criticism of Israel.
For more information on Palestinians, Israel, and COVID-19 vaccinations:
Yes, Israel should be providing COVID vaccines for Palestinians https://www.972mag.com/israel-covid-vaccine-palestinians
Independent Jewish Voices-Canada’s Statement: https://www.ijvcanada.org/ijv-stands-by-mps-in-denouncing-israels-discriminatory-vaccine-program
Charlie Angus’ response on Twitter to the attacks: https://twitter.com/CharlieAngusNDP/status/1346222184889520130/photo/1
A Palestinian youth wearing a face mask rides his bicycle past a mural painting of a nurse injecting a vaccine to a coronavirus in Gaza City, 31 December 2020.
Mohammed Abed | AFP | Getty Images