YOUR SPACE:
Remove Hezbollah from terror list: MPs
CBC News Viewpoint | August, 2006
 Liberal MP Boris Wrzesnewskyj looks at a bomb shell in Lebanon. (CBC)
Despite its political wing, the militant group Hezbollah is a terrorist organization that is comparable to the Nazi party of the 1930s, says Prime Minister Stephen Harper's parliamentary secretary.
Jason Kenney was responding to two MPs who suggested Hezbollah should be taken off Canada's list of terrorist organizations.
"We need to learn the lessons of history," Kenney told reporters Tuesday.
Boris Wrzesnewskyj and Peggy Nash made the comments Sunday during a fact-finding mission to southern Lebanon as Israeli troops continue to withdraw from the region following 34 days of conflict.
Wrzesnewskyj, a Liberal MP from Toronto, says the visit has shown him how integrated Hezbollah is into Lebanese society. In the interest of peace, he said Canada should reconsider its 2002 decision to place the group on its list of banned terrorist groups.
"Hezbollah has a political wing, they have members of parliament, two [cabinet] ministers," said Wrzesnewskyj.
"You want to encourage the politicians of this military organization, you want to encourage the political wing, so that the centre of gravity shifts to them."
Wrzesnewskyj later retracted those remarks, saying he considers Hezbollah a terrorist organization, but that he is concerned Ottawa's list of terror groups doesn't differentiate between the militant and political wings of the party.
He said Canada's legislation should be amended to allow contact with the political arms of banned organizations.
A third Canadian MP on the trip, Maria Mourani of the Bloc Québécois, wouldn't say whether she favours taking Hezbollah off the list or not.
Conservative MP Dean Del Mastro withdrew from the fact-finding mission at the last minute, citing security concerns.
The tour was arranged by the National Council on Canada-Arab Relations.
Your letters:
On the worldwide web, the practice of invoking the Nazis to demonize one's opponents is known as "Godwinning" and means that the debate screeches to a halt.
We use the Nazis as a kind of rhetorical shorthand for absolute evil (and justifiably so). The problem is that this forecloses all debate, all context and dooms us to keep repeating the same history over and over again, in our minds and so, inevitably in our policies.
This world is not black-and-white, and the men who rule it at present are not World War Two Allied heroes, however they might like to think so. Comparisons with the Nazi party, as some have pointed out, might be better applied to the United States and Israel, with their policies of aggression and domination. However, the debate on those terms is limited and denies all present and recently past history.
I am more concerned with the problem of the "good Germans", those who could look upon war crimes, atrocities and genocide with equanimity and pretend it didn't affect them or have anything to do with their tax dollars. I think it might be more useful and more historically appropriate to focus upon the "good Germans" who allowed the evil to happen by their silence and compliance.
Aalya Ahmad | Ottawa, ON
Stephen Harper's parliamentary secretary compares Hezbollah to Germany's 1930s Nazi Party, eh!
Wow, that's quite a stretch even for conspiracy theorists to swallow! It just proves how out to lunch our PM and his government are on world issues.
Yes, Hezbollah is a terrorist organization bent on removing Israel from the map but that can also be said of Hamas, the Fatah/PLO of old, the current Iranian regime, Syria's Baath Party, Saddam Hussein's regime, al-Qaeda, the Taliban and any crackpot dictatorship in the region.
Quit throwing around this Nazi label because Hezbollah is nowhere near the same league as the Nazis were and never will be. They are very small fry in a very murky pond in the overall Middle Eastern scheme of things. If the logic being used here were to apply and be correct, Hezbollah would not stop with removing Israel but would go after the Sunni Muslims, the Christian sects and even after other non-Hezbollah supporting Shia groups in Lebanon in full force.
Let's get this concept straight. Hezbollah is a small puppet organization controlled, trained and financed by Tehran and channelled through Damascus. If anything, the Nazi Party label would be more aptly applied to the mullahs and ruling elite in Iran than to Hezbollah because the Iranians not only want to see Israel wiped out, but to overthrow any and all moderate/secular governments in the region for its own political ends and to impose its brand of militant rule over others.
Philippe Roy | Ottawa, ON
Contrary to the assertion that Mr. Kenney, in comparing Hezbollah and the Nazis ignored the fact that many Lebanese people voted for Hezbollah to represent them in government, the parallels are in fact all the more striking.
The Nazis were voted in democratically by the German people, as Hezbollah's representatives were voted in by Shia Lebanese (and Hamas was voted in by the Palestinian electorate). Hezbollah and Hamas both call for the destruction of the Jewish state of Israel as the Nazis called for the genocide of the Jews.
What comparison could be more appropriate?
Joe Ronn
Jason Kenney should also be reminded that the Nazis called the fighters of the French Resistance terrorists.
However, the rest of the world saw them as freedom fighters. In the case of the conflict in Lebanon, our Conservative Government enforces the notion that the indiscriminate bombing of Lebanese civilians by Israel does not fall into the "terrorist" category. Is it because those civilians happen to be Arabs?
Allan Solomon | Vancouver, BC
Hezbollah is a group that, like the Nazis, believes in being benevolent and helpful to their members and in annihilating its opponents.
The French free fighters fought to free their country, not to kill all members of another country. There is absolutely no comparison between the two. No matter where your sympathies lie, total destruction of another side is totally unaccepatble.
Separating the political from the military simply doesn't work as shown by the Tamil Tigers. The only reason a separation between political and militant wings appears to be working in the IRA is that public support for the terrorism of the IRA has faded.
Israel killed innocent women and children? I saw lots of pictures of that. What about the pictures of the dead and wounded Israelis?
Sandy | Toronto, ON
Good for Mr. Kenney.
Hezbollah has dedicated its existence to the genocide of the Jewish people and are therefore exactly like the Nazis of the 1930s and 1940s.
It is sad that a couple weeks ago there was a parade in Montreal where thousands marched alongside Hezbollah flags. Unfortunately anti-Semitic bigotry is quickly engulfing our nation just like Lebanon.
Robert McIntyre | Metcalfe, ON
I wonder how Mr. Kenney made the decision to label Hezbollah "Nazis"?
Since the Conservative delegate refused to travel to the region to understand the issue and hear both sides of the story I don't know how he would know who or what Hezbollah is.
Relying on third party information and refusing to look at a crisis in terms of its historical development is not acceptable for a party that runs the country.
I find it highly inappropriate to use such a blatant and pathetic attempt to provoke an emotional response and inflame sensibilities. The term "Nazi" has been overused and is, frankly, ridiculous in this context. It is clearly meant to distract people from the Conservatives' refusal to be involved in consensus building and a peaceful resolution to the current situation.
It has become apparent that the Conservative Party's response to conflict of any kind is childish name-calling. There are absolutely no parallels to "Nazis" and Hezbollah. It is simply a cheap attempt to pander to a specific population of Canadian voters.
Jody |Toronto, ON
Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister of Great Britain in 1937, thought that if he agreed with Hitler's demands that he could avoid a war.
Lord Halifax, Chamberlain's foreign secretary, supported the concept of appeasement. He was impressed by the Nazis and thought they were absolutely fantastic.
I hope we don't squander an opportunity to be proactive. I hope we don't think that regardless of how complacently we treat this situation that the U.S, will simply come save us again.
Grant Moberly | Calgary, AB
It was Adolph Hitler who said, "Terror will always be effective unless it is met with equal or greater terror".
This is exactly how the Israelis are handling the situation with Hezbollah. It seems they have read Mein Kampf as well.
Mike P. | Ancaster, ON
Well done, Mr. Kenney.
Compare Hezbollah to the Nazis to evoke all kinds of historical hatred towards Hezbollah. First of all read the history books. Hezbollah was created by Israel's invasion of Lebanon and were not created to destroy Israel. If anything Israel is like the Nazis.
H. Jam | Ottawa, ON
What we should learn from our history is that alienating people because of their ideology and religion is what causes the dehumanization of these people, thus allowing and legitimizing mass murder of these groups.
Hezbollah is a party to a conflict between Israel and Hezbollah and this conflict is a result of a brutal occupation by Israel of the South of Lebanon. We could choose to alienate one party of this conflict and hear the story of only one side, the side that claims to be the stronger and along with that develop a one sided view that will just make us Canadians participants to war crimes and genocide.
There are no voices that can be heard here in Canada and that do represent the opinion of those Shias who had to suffer from the Israeli occupation of the South of Lebanon; there are no voices of those Shias who have been made refugees by the hundreds of thousands in South Lebanon today. These are the ones who see Hezbollah as their protectors and these are the ones who we Canadians are alienating today, just as the Jews were alienated back then.
If we remember clearly what happened to the Jews in Europe then, then our history should tell us that by alienating the oppressed we will be participating in their mass elimination.
Abir Chaaban | Toronto, ON
The Hezbollah program includes the following:
"We vigorously condemn all plans for negotiation with Israel, and regard all negotiators as enemies, for the reason that such negotiation is nothing but the recognition of the legitimacy of the Zionist occupation of Palestine. Therefore we oppose and reject the Camp David Agreements, the proposals of King Fahd, the Fez and Reagan plan, Brezhnev's and the French-Egyptian proposals, and all other programs that include the recognition (even the implied recognition) of the Zionist entity."
Hezbollah are worse than terrorists. They are a fascist, racist organization dedicated to engineering a second Holocaust.
Steve Ambler | Montreal, Que
The fact that this is even up for debate is distressing.
Hezbollah has, in the past, even taken credit for terrorist activities whether they labeled them as such or not. Only the politically and historically ignorant believe that they are crusaders for a cause.
This is an extremist organization motivated by the belief that all who do not share their views are heathens who should be erased from the earth. Only for political purposes do they ever cite other factors for their carnage. Most importantly, calling them by a different name will never change what they are. It only gives them false legitimacy.
Mike Benhaim | Toronto, ON
The Nazis were a militant group that entered politics to legitimize themselves. They were masters of propaganda, able to convince many that they were benign.
They came with an agenda to cause wars using thinly veiled pretexts (The Riechstag fire and later on Polish "attacks" in 1939), so as to eradicate a race of people.
Hezbollah is a militant group that has entered politics to legitimize itself. It is a master of propaganda. It has an agenda to cause Jihad using thinly veiled pretexts (the Shaaba farms) so as to eradicate a race of people. The obvious comparison is both reasonable and welcome.
Marcus Sterzer | Ottawa, ON
The Tories hit the nail on the head when they placed Hezbollah in the same camp as the Nazis. They both used good deeds to justify thier cause for terror and control.
The scary thing to me is how many people in Canada fell for that lie in the 30's and how many people are falling for the same sort of lie now in the year 2006! We are bad at learning our history.
We need to look back at our past and not forget the mistakes and learn from them. In the 1930's many Mennonites accepted Hitler becaue they bought many of his lies. We are doing the same thing today in the Mideast by indirectly supporting orgizations like Hezbollah.
Israel and the U.S. are far from perfect but I would rather have them my friend and ally than any of these immoral nations.
Greg Wiens (a Mennonite Minister) | Winnipeg, MB
To legitimize Hezbollah will only further destabilize Lebanon.
Many terrorist groups provide aid and assistance to their local populations. This kind of aid only allows these groups to be further entrenched.
Let's not forget that Hezbollah has acknowledged its responsibility in terrorist acts and murder.
Sharon Graham Winnipeg, MB
We have entered an altered universe where terrorists and aggressors are called victims and where those who attempt to protect themselves against terrorism, are condemned and villified.
Hezbollah is open and honest about its desire to wipe Israel and it's people from the face of the earth.
In the light of this uncompromising and irrational hatred, fed and nurtured through 'humanitarian acts' toward the very same Lebanese civilians Hezbollah hid among during the last several months, Israel now has to deal with ignorance and hatred from Canada's official opposition party.
Greta | Thornhill, ON
If the photographs of destruction in Lebanon and Israel do not make you weep, then you have no heart.
We live in a country that is so peaceful and virtually all of us naturally want the same for the Middle East. I am trying to understand how any Canadian could support the use of suicide bombers, kidnappings, rocket attacks aimed at civilians, and the use of civilians as human shields.
Hezbollah wants to provide hospitals, schools, housing, the total destruction of Israel, and the annihalation of all Jews. Evil thrives on neutrality and silence. Canada was and is absolutely morally correct in denouncing Hezbollah as a terrorist group.
Israel is not without blame, but it is a vibrant democracy. Please, support those who want a lasting peace.
David Katzman | Saskatoon, SK
Hezbollah is an organization that, among other things, crossed a recognized border, killed eight of that country's citizens and kidnapped two.
It also has, over many months, sent missiles across the border that have killed and injured civilians. Its reason? It doesn't recognize the state of Israel.
Let's draw a comparison: our neighbour, the U.S., suddenly decides it doesn't recognize Canada and therefore sends missiles across the border killing Canadians, and also kidnaps our citizens.
Our response to this, if our erstwhile MP's logic is to be followed, should be to praise the aggressors for their humanitarian good deeds and to hold friendly discussions with them.
Tamara Moscoe | Toronto, ON
If the integration into society legitimizes a group, that certainly provides the criterion for recognizing the legitimacy of Fascists like Mussolini, Hitler and their ilk.
They too were represented in government as cabinet ministers and well integrated into the societies of their respective countries. That must endow the Fascists with the same legitimacy and status as our Canadian MP's Boris Wrzesnewskyj and Peggy Nash.
Barbara Frohlich | Thornhill, Ontario
Is this a joke?
The Hezbollah flag depicts a hand raising an assualt rifle! They're not even trying to hide who they are.
A few MPs tour a Hezbollah hospital and get a warm meal and they're ready to declare these monsters saints?
Pure ignorance. Before Hezbollah sends volleys of rockets into Israeli cities, they make sure to warn any Arab Israelis who may be in the vicinity. This is because Hezbollah is not interested in killing Israelis in general, just the Jews.
This is, of course, their mandate and a fact they do not try to hide.
Shame on these MPs for supporting such a cause!
Eddy Mitchel | Toronto, ON
This is preposterous, the responses I've heard. Israel has occupied Lebanese territory illegally since the '80's, and has not withdrawn.
Hezbollah, a legitimate political party has sought to remove Israel from their lands peacefully. Israel refused.
After the capture of the two Israel soldiers, Hezbollah asked for a truce, so that they could get back the hundreds of children and women that Israel has illegally kidnapped. Israel refused.
Yes Israel has every right to exist, but they are provoking these attacks, and using them as an excuse to decimate the countries around them. How can you justify illegally occupying Palestine for the past 4 decades?
Stefan Kubbinga | Toronto
Bill Graham was initially pressured by the Jewish Lobby to put Hezbollah on the list of terrorist organizations by FALSELY saying that Hezbollah encouraged Palestinians to expand their suicide attacks worldwide.
This was a blatant lie, and based on this lie, they were added to the list.
Hezbollah is a legitimate resistance movement, and they only came into existence after being fedup with Israeli aggression and invasion.
You know, it's very easy for us to be sitting here in luxury half way around the world and passing judgement. Let's engage our brains just a little, and see the Mideast conflict for what it really is: a US-Israeli terrorist dictatorship.
Take them off the list! If anyone should be on it, it should be U.S. and Israel.
Shahana Jafri | Toronto, ON
Now let me get this straight.
Israel drops missiles and cluster bombs into a civilian area in Lebanon, kills 1200 civilians (women, babies, and men,) and children are still dieing today from cluster bombs the Jews dropped and Jason Kenney is trying to tell me that Hezblolah is the terrorist?
I can't wait for the next election.
Don Nuttall | Vancouver, BC
Israel has violated United Nation resolutions not only in the past but today too.
Can any newspaper have the courage to write about the number of resolutions against Israel? We are seeing daily that Israel violates ceasefire agreements and the world is quietly seeing it. Where are Bush and Blair now?
How long will we keep quiet?
Someone will rise and resist to save their homeland, to save their children, to save their families, to save their future generations. That is their right!
Adil Rizvi | Toronto, ON
With terror acts involving placement of ball bearings in katyusha rockets, which were aimed and fired at innocent civilians in northern Israel to inflict maximum maiming and killing, Hezbollah is a terrorist organization today just as much as it was when it killed 241 United States marines in a suicide bombing in Lebanon in the early 1990s.
Glen Weltman | Toronto, ON
I believe that Hezbollah must return their kipnapped victims, publicly announce that they will agree to live in peace with Israel and the U.S. and sign a peace treaty to that effect.
They must also publicly state that they denounce the use of suicide bombers and scrap their long-range missles. In other words, join the rest of the world. Then if you want to take them off the list, why not?
Paul Fruitman | Toronto, ON
I wish to comment to all those who say they are a terrorist group because they attacked "the Jewish State". And others say they should be condemned because they are a proxy to "the Islamic State" of Iran.
Isn't it clear that there are legitimate problems with having an apartheid regime in Israel?
Further, the Israeli government is also a terrorist organization because it commits crimes that include targeted assasination of elected leaders, indiscriminate weapons such as cluster bombs, and ilegal war measures such as bombing third parties to a dispute.
Both Hezbollah and Israel engage in illegal forms of war. Neither can be justified. They are both engaging in criminal activity.
Is Israel more culpable because they consistently kill more civilians, despite having the power of a 'legitimate state' behind? It is a pointless exercize.
I oppose a two state solution. I believe there should be a larger state with no armed forces of any kind, with true religious freedom for all; and the new state should be called "Israel and Palestine".
B.Lindsay | Victoria B.C.
I do not understand why it matters whether Hezbollah recognizes Israel's "right to exist."
There is no such concept in international law, but even if there were, Hezbollah's position on the matter is hardly relevant. Fact: Israel has been occupying Arab lands, including Lebanese land, since 1967.
Israel is an occupying power with one of the most powerful armies in the world. There is no danger to Israel's existance from Hezbollah or Hamas, unless you believe that Israel's existance depends on maintaining an illegal occupation of Gaza, the West Bank and the Golan Heights (including the Lebanese Shebaa Farms).
We say that Hezbollah started this conflict by kidnapping an Israeli soldier. But during the 20-year occupation of Lebanon Israel imprisoned thousands of political prisoners that it has not released. This conflict goes back over twenty-six years.
Those who say the MPs should have been visiting Israeli victims might be interested to learn that Israel has suffered a total of 44 civilian deaths in this latest wave of conflict, while Lebanon has suffered more than 1100 civilian deaths. There is absolutely no comparison. Israel's response is completely disproportionate and is a war crime.
What should Israel do? Release all political prisoners from Israeli jails and pull out of all occupied territory.
Terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah - as most resistance groups throughout history have found - will find their recruiting power, which stems not from anti-semitism but from real grievances against Israel, greatly diminished.
Of course Israel will never willingly abandon the territories, because Israeli leaders believe that they shouldn't have to.
Tim Burris | Kamloops, BC
I have a neighbour who belonged to the Hitler Youth in Germany.
To this day, despite her disavowal of Nazi thinking, she retains fond memories of all the nice things the Nazis, and Hitler Youth did to make life better for "Aryans". Summer camps, sewing classes, neighborhood festivals and feasts were some of the nice things Nazis did for Anglo-Saxon Germans.
When MPs trot off to Lebanon on a "fact finding" mission, they would do well to gather in ALL the facts, not just the ones the spin-doctors among Hezbollah feed them. They would do well to remember that Hezbollah vows to destroy Israel, and is virulently anti-semetic.
They are advised to factor in to their observations some recognition of what "success" means to Hezbollah. It not only means that Jews (or "Zionists", their more politically correct term for Jews)should all die, it also means that in Israel's place, an Islamic state in which women have no rights, freedom of thought, expression and religion are not tolerated, and more Islamic terrorism is exported to other countries becomes the norm.
Hezbollah has been creating havoc in Lebanon for over twenty years, since it was imported from Iran, courtesy of the Ayatollah Khomeini and his totalitarian cohorts. Hezbollah has been kidnapping, murdering, bribing, and subverting law and order and justice in Lebanon for many years, to say nothing of its relentless campaign against Israel.
Perhaps the MPs from Canada should head to northern Lebanon and ask non-Shia Lebanese what Hezbollah has done in their country. Perhaps the MPs should find out where the thousands of dollars the Hezbollah are doling out to their supporters comes from. Perhaps the MPs should go to Israel while they're in the region and find out what prompted Israel to over-react finally.
Interview some of the hundreds of maimed Israelis who survived terrorist suicide bombs, or interview some of the thousands whose loved ones were blown to smithereens while drinking tea in a restaurant or riding a bus to work.
No country should have to put up with a terrorist organization operating in its midst. Nor should any country put up with continual attack from a profoundly anti-democratic totalitarian terrorist group that seeks its annihiliation.
No matter how attractive Hezbollah appears to some neophyte Candian MPs, its real agenda is profoundly racist, anti-democratic and ultra-religious, and death and mayhem to Jews and infidels are its goals. To appease Hezbollah is to deliver the ultimate "sucker punch" to life as we know it in the civilized world.
Mary-Ellen Lang | Campbell River, BC
Removing Hezbollah from Canada's list of terrorist organizations would be highly destructive to Canada's image abroad as a peacekeeping nation. How is Hezbollah any different from the IRA?
Any group that purports the destruction of a nation, be it Israel or any other, cannot be seriously considered legitimate and dealt with as a political organization.
The same logic, of course, must be applied to Hamas.
Josh Smith | Calgary, AB
There would not be groups like Hamas and Hezbollah if governments did more for the poor. Revolution comes from within.
The U.S. deems everyone who does not agree with its foreign policies terrorists. I believe the Bush Administration to be a biggest hypocritical bunch of terrorists the world has ever known.
I am incensed that Harper is taking our Canada away. We are not stupid people just because we are not warmongers full of greed to rule the world.
We need to speak out against the madness like Pearson and Trudeau did, whether we lose business from the U.S. or not. They are wrong by invading Iraq and slaughtering tens of thousands of civilians and enabling Israel and supporting them to do the same in Palestine and Lebanon.
Sherry Smith | Nanaimo, BC
I wholeheartedly support the removal of Hezbollah from Canada's list of terrorists, and I congratulate Liberal MP Boris Wrzesnewskyj and NDP MP Peggy Nash for their fact-finding tour and recommendation to do this.
I am disgusted by Harper's initial assertion that Israeli actions were a "measured" response.
My own reasoning for wanting Hezbollah off the terrorist list is that the biggest terrorists of all are Israel and the U.S. They label whomever they want to destroy as terrorists and then use the resistance of the victims to justify their claims.
Anne Sherrod | New Denver BC
Didn't Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah encourage suicide bombings worldwide?
The fact that members of the NDP and Liberal party are even debating this fact is simply laughable.
Why not take Hamas and al-Qaeda off the list while they are at it? I mean sure they are murdering people but I am sure they have built the odd school house here and there in Pakistan and Palestine.
Ms. Nash and Mr. Wrzesnewskyj go a long way in showing the rose coloured glasses the Liberal's and the NDP view the rest of the world.
This whole trip seems to be more about the Liberal's and NDP getting their sound bytes for the next election and little to do with the people of Lebanon.
Marc Gagne | Mississauga, ON
You cannot destroy the infrastructure of a country to the point of crippling it for two kidnapped soldiers.
The Israeli response was an opportunity to wipe out another neighbour. When they were destroying Lebanon they intensified attacks on Palestine while the world was looking in the other direction.
I would strongly suggest that the Israelis are terrorists here. I would like to know who is going to pay to rebuild Lebanon.
Mitch | Montreal, QUE
What is really going on here?
I don't understand the logic in removing Hezbollah from the "terror list" when there is absolutely no evidence they are interested in anything BUT terror. Someone is going to have to connect the dots for me, because I'm not getting this whole "freedom fighter" thing, as if it were some sort of romanticized struggle.
Hezbollah has never been shy about its mandate to annihilate Israel and its benefactors sing the same tune, loud and clear. They are religious zealots bent on destroying a people over a patch of holy ground.
Hezbollah is not fighting for freedom for anybody. It attacked another country, and then used its own people as shields. There is nothing noble or civil, much less political, about Hezbollah's goals.
The fact that Hezbollah has managed to move itself into the political arena is nothing more than shrewd planning, and does not legitimize it in any way. And the idea that such a radical group has political representation at all should scare the pants off us all, because it means that plenty of people think that violence is the answer.
Lebanon was in no danger from Israel until it was unnecessarily provoked. And as far as Israel's "disproportionate" response, well if my neighbour kidnapped a member of my family, and then started launching rockets into my backyard, I'd be fighting back with everything I've got.
Canada should not be in dialogue with these groups until the groups can demonstrate civilized behaviour and a willingness to make a break from their aggressive past. There shouldn't even be the suggestion of a relationship, and I am appalled that a member of MY parliament would make such a careless remark on the international stage.
K.Newman | Peterborough, ON
Hezbollah was born of the Israeli invasion and occupation of Lebanon in the early '80's.
As for unprovoked attacks. The kidnapping of democratically elected Hamas parliamentarians, incursions, apartheid Palestinian conditions, shelling of a Gaza beach killing civilians, massing troops along borders, and assasinations. As we sit in our ivory towers here in Canada I wonder what these things would do to our own collective reason? What would the response be? How long would YOU sit and just take it?
Perhaps what these politicians should more accurately state is that there are three sides of the story: their side, our side and the truth. We need to examine the roots, and find a solution. The bombs are obviously not working, and ignoring the problem wont make it go away.
Violence will surely beget violence.
Without having a working historical and geographical knowledge of the Middle East, you are nothing more than a lobby mouthpiece. These conflicts will continue so long as knowledge comes from news broadcasts or from prejudice. Perhaps we should start looking for real solutions. Dialogue is the obvious start.
Dave Elliott | Kingston, ON
Are these people serious, or just very stupid?
This makes the Tories look sensible, since their representative did not go on the trip. Have these people forgotten about the two Israeli soldiers still being held illegally by Hezbollah, after their illegal violation of Israel's border?
James T. Chlup | Winnipeg, MB
I think if we allow Israel to destroy Lebanese infrastructure and kill over 1000 Lebanese civilians Israel should be placed on a terrorist list.
If Hezbollah is placed on a terrorist watch, what can we say about Israel whose very formation depended on expelling 700,000 Palestinians from their homes and posessions.
It is important to have one moral standard applied to all, every individual regardless of race, sex, ethnicity. I wonder if the Arabs had won the 1967 war, how the history books would have been written?
Reza Shenassa | Vancouver, BC
Congratulations, I am glad that some Canadian MP's have some backbone.
Hezbollah is a legitimate resistance movement. Anyone with a half of an IQ would realize that this war didn't start with the kidnapping of two soldiers. It started with Israel's invasion of Lebanon 20 years ago, when they kidnapped thousands of Palestinians and Lebanese and continue to hold them in prison.
Without Israel, there would be no Hezbollah or Hamas or any of the resistance movements in the Mideast. No country in recent history has attacked more of its neighbours than Israel.
J. Brav | Ottawa, ON
Finally, some Canadian politicians are getting back on the right track.
Hezbollah is a resistance movement and not a terrorist organization. Let the Canadians work on solving the real problem in the Mideast, with complete fairness (not like the Americans).
Lebanese want to rebuild their country and live peacefully. They do not like war and bloodshed, but they want a fair solution.
Leila | Toronto, ON
It is almost laughable that Mr. Wrzesnewskyj and Ms. Nash now consider themselves experts in Mideast politics after spending a few days in Lebanon.
How much "nuance" do you suppose they were exposed to in days filled with scripted scenes of violence and top-heavy spin on just who is to blame?
Hezbollah was declared a terrorist organization because it commits acts of terror and calls for the destruction of Israel.
To say after a short period of time that we are wrong and should recognize them to negotiate a settlement is sheer fantasy that only the left could ever dream up.
Perhaps if Mr. Wrzesnewskyj and Ms. Nash are so ashamed of Canada, they might be allowed a little more time on the ground in say, Israel where after a week of two of rocket attacks they might come to a different conclusion.
Doug Kenwright | Oshawa, ON
These two MPs seem to forget who started the conflict to begin with.
The political wing and the social welfare portion of this group are parts of the same. They all are bent on the destruction of the Jewish state and on killing all non-believers.
You cannot negotiate or use reason when dealing with such people. The Lebanese people are part of the problem as they support and condone terrorism. They are the terrorists. This group is not an outside entity; it is made up of Lebanese.
Kevin | Westport, ON
Of course the Hezbollah is a terrorist organization.
If it bombs and cross-border raids were aimed at us we would do the same thing that the Israelis did. Just because we have Canadians here of Lebanese origin doesn't mean we have to stick up for the bad minority in that country.
Remember this was a slanted fact finding mission set up by people who have already made up their minds. At least in Israel you are allowed to disagree and openly criticize the government, which many people do. Try that in the rest of the Mideast!
Karl Bjorkman | Atikokan, ON
What is the motivation for requesting that the decision to classify Hezbollah as a terrorist organization be rescinded?
Is it because they saw the destruction on the ground in Lebanon?
Let's get the facts straight. Although it was an uneasy peace, there was peace between Israel and Lebanon. Hezbollah broke it by attacking Israel and kidnapping two of their soldiers. Israel responded. Now there's a ceasefire. I hope it holds.
The degree of the Israeli response can be argued. The fact that Hezbollah provides social services to its people is very smart politically but Hezbollah as an organization remains committed to the destruction of a state that Canada recognizes diplomatically.
How can Hezbollah NOT be labelled a terrorist group?
Simon Tanner | London, ON
Sure, let's remove Hezbollah's "political wing" from the terrorist list.
While we are at it, let's throw our support behind the "political wing" of the KKK. They also have histories of sponsoring community organizations and giving money to local widows in need.
I guess when Hezbollah's leader, Nasrallah, said "If Jews all gather in Israel, it will save us the trouble of going after them worldwide," he was only making a benign political statement.
I guess when one Klan supporter said, "I should die a thousand times than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds," he was only making a political statement too.
Adam Green | Ottawa, ON
Both Hezbollah and Hamas are respected groups in their own territory and it is certainly not in our interest to shun them at the behest of Bush and the Israelis.
Canadian interests are best served by keeping open lines of communication, without necessarily implying agreement, with all significant parties involved.
I suspect that Mrs. Thatcher delayed the 'Peace Process' in N. Ireland by several years, and many deaths, by refusing to deal with, rather than welcoming, the IRA members elected to Parliament.
Similarly, we should offer the hand of friendship and co-operation to both Hezbollah and Hamas. After all, if we can deal with Begin, Shamir, and Sharon, whom can we not deal with?
Brian Allardice Shenzhen | People's Republic of China
While I understand the natural inclination of the Liberal and NDP MPs to sympathize with innocent victims of the clash between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, I am against removing Hezbollah from the terrorist list.
I have never heard anything from Hezbollah that would lead me to believe that anything short of the destruction of Israel, the only real democracy in the region, would satisfy them. These MPs advocating working with Hezbollah are advocating the desctruction of Israel.
The difference between the IRA political wing and the Hezbollah political wing is that the IRA was open to negotiations and compromises, while the Arab terrorists are not. And I fail to see how you can find any middle ground here.
Even the ceasefire is disingenious as Hezbollah and Hamas will only use it to regroup and build up their ability to strike at Israel again.
J Macfarlane | Nanaimo, BC
The two MP's comparison between the IRA and Hezbollah is like comparing apples and oranges for many reasons.
Consider this. First, the IRA was a terrorist organization that had a long history based upon a struggle with foreign domination in one's country. Their concern had nothing to do with terrorizing the world into submission to its ideology.
Hezbollah on the other hand, although a terorist organization as well, is one of many groups whose goal is the destruction of Israel and anyone connected with it. It also has a collective goal to terrorize the world until it submits to Islam.
PJ O'Duinne | Dublin, Ireland
These comments by the two Liberal MP's are totally ludicrous.
I do not support war, but Hezbollah's refusal to disarm makes the two MPP's just look silly.
I agree that there needs to be much further indepth reviews of our foreign policy, to assist PM Harper to make proper statements, but we must realize that Harper is in a learning curve and we should give him opportunity to hone his international statesmanship skills.
Bill Cairns | Miramichi, NB
Yes. Remove Hezbollah from the terrorist list.
After what Israel did in Lebanon they are the ones that should be on the terrorist list.
Archie Halliwell | Halifax, NS
Look at Hezbollah for what it really is, not freedom fighters or charity group.
There are no land disputes here. The cheba farms were just an excuse to keep fighting.
Hezbollah are essentially Iran's shock troops, created by Iran and financed and armed by Syria. They were unleashed a month ago to deflect the srutiny both countries were getting for their own misdeeds.
Canadian MPs supporting hezbollah is a disgrace.
Bob | St. John's, N.L.
Of Course, let's do that! Take one iof the most notorious groups in the terror business and now declare them as a simple entity.
Forget the murders, the bombings, the lives that have been brutally destroyed; forget the people who have been suffering under the murderous eye of this terror gang for years. Let's throw it all aside and declare them as peaceful and willing to negotiate.
I submit that the only fact that can be clearly established here is just how deluded and small minded some individuals can be. The truly unfortunate part is that they are a part of our government.
Instead of admitting the truth and dealing with it as it is, we create scenarios that are more palatable to us and then try to con the public into believing this drivel. Stop trying to appease and placate. For once,take a stand and actually act on it instead of hiding behind this garbage.
Aaron | Ottawa, ON
This is outrageous.
Next we will remove groups like the Nazis in the interest of peace and ask the Jewish community to make peace with Hitler's followers in the interest of peace.
These politicians are completely nuts and should be removed from office!
Rick | Burlington, ON
I applaud the MP's suggestion to remove Hezbollah from the terror list.
How is this any different than the British government's situation with Sinn Fein?
Claudio Discepola | Kirkland, Que
We definitely need to remove a terrorist group that encourages suicide bombing and killing innocent people and targeting civilians with their missiles.
How badly do these Liberal and NDP members need to score points to suggest such a thing?
Doug Glew | Westfield, NB
Hezbollah is the equivalent of the French Resistance against the Nazi occupation.
Hezbollah is a resistance group against Zionist occupation and aggression.
Canada should condemn the Zionists not those who oppose them.
Y. Moreault | Dégelis, Que
Equivalent to the resistance against the Nazis?
Did the Israelis invade unprovoked in the interests of land capture and ethnic cleansing?
Actually if everyone can stop comparing every little thing to Hitler and the Nazis I'd totally appreciate it.
Hezbollah began as a terror movement and as long as they are indiscriminately killing civilians they will stay a terrorist movement. Remember they popularized the concept of suicide bombing!
And now MP's want to remove them from the terror list because they found out their cause is noble? Well I'm sure someone will find nobleness in the cause of Al-Qeada too.
Shawn | Winnipeg, MB
First of all these MPs should remember who started this latest round of fighting.
It was the Hezbollah who attacked an Israeli outpost killing four soldiers and kidnapping two others.
I may not agree with the size of response Israel used but I don't hear these two MPs telling Hezbollah to return the two soldiers.
It's beyond me how these two want to work with people who go on TV and tell people to kill and believe it's OK.
Why don't we deal with the Lebanese government who are the ones who should be in control, not with Hezbollah?
Paul Musselman | Elmira, ON
I find it ignorant that we have politicians in Canada suggesting that an organization that openly admits to kidnapping shouldn't be labelled a terror organization.
Sasha Dolgy | Clarens, Vaud, Switzerland
This article demonstrates the incredible ignorance and naivety of Boris Wrzesnewskyj and Peggy Nash who, I'm embarrassed to admit, are Canadian MPs who supposedly are intelligent Parliamentarians.
Here you have Hezbollah hiding behind innocent people (woman, children, the elderly, etc) shooting rockets into Israel in their bid to destroy the Jewish state and then you have these bleeding hearts saying that Hezbollah should be taken off Canada's Terrorist Group list.
What for? So they can continue to export their lunacy to places like Afghanistan, so we can bring back more Canadian men and women in body bags? Shame on the both of them for being so gullible, and if either of them had any honour they would resign their seats.
I would hope that their constituents turf them out like yesterday's news in the next election.
Patti Delaurier | Lower Sackville, NS
I suppose then, that Nash and Wrzesnewskyj would apply the same principle to Hamas, which has a political wing in the Palestinian territory and is actually the elected government.
Then of course, when al-Qaeda, Islamic Jihad, and even the KKK create political wings, we should grant clemency. Will Nasrullah, bin Laden and others be the newest representatives at the UN?
Ronald Potter | Niagara Falls, ON
We ought to remove those two Canadian MPs.
No wonder our country is in such a mess. What an idiotic suggestion! What ever happened to good old common sense?
Ron Leech | Calgary, AB
Did the MP's who visited Lebanon convince the Hezbollah that they should renounce the destruction of Israel and it's people?
I think not! Why is it that the NDP and Liberals always seem to be on the opposite side of reality?
It would appear that someone gave them a free ticket and as a reward they had to criticize the government even though they do not really have a sound rationale for their position.
I am embarrassed to call these MPs representatives of our country Canada.
Wayne Phillip | Prince Albert, SK
I don't understand why no one is seeing this war as the same old thing!
War after war is fought and still nothing changes. Instead, more anger and hatred grow with the younger generations.
We have no right to blame or label them terrorists because this is their life, a life that has been imbedded in their minds through war. They see it as the right thing to do for their people and country because it is a cause they must illuminate worldwide.
I don't agree with terrorism. But I also don't agree with our government choosing sides on who is right or wrong. Politicians must be innovative with coming up with strategies to stop terrorism from lingering generation to generation.
Hezbollah and other labelled terrorist groups have causes of their own to fight. North America is not perfect; we all make mistakes, and we don't always do the right thing.
Tonia | Caledon, ON
The comments by the MPs about murderers, thugs and perpetrators of genocide do nothing to change my mind about Hezbollah.
To give them the "honour" of being resistance or freedom fighters is to overlook and sweep under the carpet their primary purpose for existence; that is the annihilation of the Jewish State and a whole group of people. This is called genocide in my dictionary.
If the people of Lebanon are supporting them then they must also be a party to this genocidal philosophy.
Terrorists are still terrorists even if they help their own people as Hezbollah is said to be doing.
Ian Ridpath | Milton, ON
These people hide behind women and children while shooting rockets into a neighbouring country without knowing or caring where they land or who they hurt.
Sure sounds like a terrorist to me. But then again I am only an average Canadian not a highly educated and trained member of parliament
R. Caverly | Timmins, ON
These MP's should re-read the statements made by the leadership of Hezbollah, whose political and religious fanaticism is at the core of so much of the violence in the Middle East.
Where are the voices of a reasoned and civilized Islamic international community in all this violence? I find this very strange indeed.
The people of Lebanon, by virtue of their silence, enabled these extremists to hide among them and launch their hateful rockets against Israel and now refuse to accept any responsibility for the destruction that ensued.
Any group that endorses violence against innocent people in the service of their political and religious extremism should be exposed and not be given legitimacy by the Canadian government.
Richard Audet | Sudbury, ON
Hezbollah remains essentially a parasitic organization within the Lebanese body politic, usurping political and social roles (such as welfare and defence) in the absence of effective governance on the part of the national government of Lebanon.
It is using its conflict with Israel to further build up its credibility, which it needs if it is to pursue some of its more radical goals. Let us not forget that according to most outside observers much of Hezbollah's funding seems to come from Iran.
Also, for all its social work, Hezbollah remains a militant Islamic organization bent on destroying Israel and on establishing a theocracy. For such reasons, nothing should be done by Western countries to further increase its legitimacy; on the contrary, every effort should be made to further isolate it and thus give the Lebanese army the moral support it needs if it is to reclaim Southern Lebanon for the national government of Lebanon.
In light of this, the call by two of our MPs to delist Hezbollah as a terrorist organization is naive to say the least, as indeed, was their decision to visit Lebanon under the sponsorship of a political group in the first place.
Usman Erdosy | Ottawa, ON
I acknowledge that there was much destruction in Lebanon, something that is very unfortunate.
Having just returned from Israel, I can report that there was also destruction in Northern Israel and add that over one million people were evacuated from that area.
I have no problem removing Hezbollah from the list of terrorist organizations as long as they change their raison d'etre, which is the destruction of Israel. Hezbollah provides local support services, which should be supplied by the Lebanese government.
Israel is a sovereign country with the right to defend itself and its borders. How would our esteemed MP's explain the amassing of over 12,000 Katyusha rockets on the Lebanese border? Is this for defense purposes?
I suggest that the MP's require some balanced information before commenting on this publicly. It is frankly embarrassing that they feel qualified to comment publicly on this situation.
R.Rotin | Thornhill, ON
I completely agree that Hezbollah should be taken off the list of terrorists groups.
We are not Americans so why should Canada take sides with organized state terrorism, which Israel constantly displays.
Canada should put an end to lobby groups that use lies and deception to get their way. Canadians need to intellectualize and analyze the establishment of the Zionist state.
The British once considered Zionists as terrorists. The Zionists assassinated British officials to get their way. And today they occupy the state of Israel.
Canada should not support Israel. Canada should always remain neutral to what goes on in the Middle East.
Glen Davidson | Lethbridge, AB
I thought it was a very interesting point that Glen Davidson made.
I will reiterate that point because I believe that it is central to this issue. The people who founded Israel, the Zionists, were in fact terrorists.
How can you argue that one group of terrorists should have it's way over another?
I don't consider Isreal a country of terrorists, but they were founded by them. Why can't we give Arabs that same benefit of the doubt?
Luke Murray | Edmonton, AB
I am getting very frustrated with the ongoing coverage of what is happening in the Middle East and the fact that I've barely seen any coverage on how Israel is coping.
Everything that is shown is how the Lebanese are suffering. What about how Israel is suffering? What about mentioning the Hezbollah using human shields and storing their explosives and guns in apartment buildings, mosques and homes of people who are too afraid and too poor to do anything about it.
The Hezbollah dress in civilian clothing so it is easier for them to blend in. I can almost guarantee that when these MP's where in Lebanon Hezbollah fed them with lies.
All Israel wants to do is to be able to live in peace without the daily barrage of rockets falling around them or the suicide missions that are carried out on Israel regularly.
It is always sad when innocent people are caught in the middle but that is the price people pay when they allow terrorists into their homes.
Susan Cohen | Calgary, AB
Wonderful, now we have our own little set of ignorant "Jane Fondas".
If Hezbollah is a legitimate government entity in Lebanon, then Israel has the full and complete right to wage total war against the illegal and unprovoked incursion that precipitated the events of the last weeks.
These three MP's are a disgrace and an embarrassment!
Hans Wissner | Calgary, Alberta
When Hezbollah comes out against suicide bombing on Israeli buses and marketplaces then, and only then should Canada consider removing them from the terror list.
This is not a group that favours negotiations. They continue to use terror as a weapon and that is unacceptable.
Chris | Edmonton, AB
Hezbollah promotes violence and calls for the extermination of a people. They should not be taken off the terrorist list.
Veronique Bjorkman | Atikokan, ON
If these MP's had also visited Israel and the sites of the rocket attacks there, then the whole fact-finding mission would have more credibility and balance.
Instead it turns out that three elected opposition party officials are speaking publicly on things they seem to understand little about.
If they had witnessed the damage to Germany in WW2 would they have called the Nazis victims?
David Williams | Mississauga, ON
Terrorists are created when a people or a society are attacked by an overwhelming military force and have no way to defend themselves by conventional means.
Hezbollah now has rockets they can send into Israel so they no longer need to send suicide bombers.
Give the Palestinians a few attack helicopters and some tanks and bulldozers and an army and an air force they too would have no more need of suicide bombers. Israel did nothing in Lebanon but create hatred and hopelessness, among those bombed out of their homes.
Hezbollah is the only hope of those victims of war. The international community, especially the United States, let Israel have it's way, apparently to teach the Lebanese some kind of lesson by blowing up their homes and killing people.
They did nothing but sow the seeds of hatred for a new generation.
Walter Lane | Guelph, On
"We don't want to see any more terrorism, whether the terrorism of suicide bombers or launching rockets or state terrorism. This is state terrorism," he said pointing to the bomb craters behind him.
The truth of this statement is self-evident to anyone who has watched the indiscriminate death and destruction that Israel has visited upon completely innocent Lebanese civilians.
The Harper government has decided to back the war criminals in the U.S. who are well along the path to even more destructive war in the Middle East.
Canadians are fast becoming known as willing co-conspirators to the axis-of-evil that runs through Washington and London.
We will pay a price for this reversal of Canada's traditional role as peacekeepers. Whatever business deals the Harper government thinks it will be the beneficiaries of, (think pipelines through Afghanistan for one) will not be worth our embracing war criminals and mass-murderers.
Brian Tilley | Edmonton, AB
I was sadly discouraged to hear that opposition MP's are blasting Harper for what is happening in Lebanon.
I don't support Mr. Harper at all. But the bottom line is this: Lebanon attacked Israel first. Is it Israel's fault that Lebanon can't properly defend itself? Starting a fight and then crying foul when your opponent hits you back with a bigger bat shows the real character of these people. War is horrible, but if you hate it so much don't start it.
As for these MP's they are taking advantage of most Canadians desire for world peace without seeing the big picture. I feel that all this will do is strengthen Harpers position. The opposition has shown ignorance on the issues at hand and made the Conservatives stronger.
Ian McTaggart | Summerland, BC
They forget that the real perpetrators of the Lebanese deaths were fanatical Hezbollah terrorists. They forget about the thousands of missiles launched against innocent Israelis over the last several years in the North of Israel. They forget about Israel asking the UN for assistance to stop Hezbollah using the Lebanese army, long before Israel was forced to take matters into their own hands in self-defence.
These Canadian politicians fail to see reality and truth for what it is by bending to a false view of the real causes of war. In addition, their actions simply contribute to anti-Semitism in Canada and abroad.
They are committing treason in my eyes especially since Canadian soldiers now assisting the common people, and continue to fight and some die to prevent totalitarianism in predominantly Muslim Afghanistan. All of the terrorism in the world today is coming out of forms of Islamic extremism. Any other thoughts are pure fiction and Utopian, socialist thinking. Treason is still treason.
Michael Kelly | Victoria, BC
If they are ashamed to be Canadian, I would not be sorry to see them go live in another country. I won't miss them.
I can't believe they seem so prejudiced and uninformed as to take the destructive stand they take in this article.
Not a word about Hezbollah's unprovoked attack on Israeli towns and soldiers. How would these parliamentarians react if a heavily armed terrorist organization operated from the United States and the United States refused to assert their sovereignty?
How would they react if these terrorists routinely lobbed rockets into their personal Canadian neighborhood, killing family members, then cross the border, kidnapping and killing Canadians?
It is a tragedy that innocent civilians have been harmed and killed, but that is the fault of Hezbollah who care less for their own people than they do for Israel. Israel is NOT guilty of war crimes or misbehaviour. It is guilty of defending itself from repeated terrorism and from the surrounding nations who are bent on the annihilation of the nation of Israel and the genocide of its people.
John Vezina | Spruce Grove, AB
I am ashamed that these three individuals are not only parliamentarians but call themselves Canadians. They are a disgrace to Canada.
What did they find in Israel where hundreds of missiles struck from Lebanon? They won't have an answer and will play dodgeball if they are ever questioned about it.
Ron Welgush | Winnipeg, MB
They are quick to criticize anything democratic and ignore the truth about the causes of the strife.
Hezbollah orchestrated the conflict when the Arab states were about to recognize Israel's right to exist.
Those politicians are patsies for Hezbollah's propaganda.
George Manson | Grand Forks, BC
It makes me sick to see these Canadians in a photo-op in Lebanon. Why not go to Israel and visit their bombed out cities and the dead and injured?
I call this a gutless move by the opposition parties. They will pay for their anti-Israel moves.
Charles Ladouceur | Trenton, ON
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