Tom Mulcair: NDP facing some tough decisions over its policies on Israel

Front Bench: The future of the NDP in Canada The Front Bench panel analyzes the strength and ability of the NDP to capitalize off the falling support for the Liberal party.

At its policy convention this weekend, the NDP will be facing some tough decisions. The party has been signalling that “now is not the time” to push for even more anti-Israel positions than those it has already adopted since Jagmeet Singh became leader.

With the horrific terrorist attacks against Israeli citizens as backdrop, Singh has wisely chosen not to make those proposals a priority. But an impending attack by the Israeli Defense Forces within Gaza may change things rapidly.

Singh may have succeeded in pushing back those motions for now, but the party’s rules allow for emergency resolutions to be brought forward and debated nonetheless. That could lay bare some ugly anti-Israel sentiments that have been recently on display within the party and with some of its close allies.

At the height of the Hamas terrorist attacks last Saturday, one key union, CUPE local 3906, posted “Palestine is rising, long live the resistance” on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. After a public outcry, that post was taken down before a new post with the union’s official statement was issued, in which they refuted the “conflation between support for Palestine as condoning violence against civilians.”

There are, and have always been, divergent voices within the NDP. One senior member of caucus expressed support for BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) against Israel and was reeled in by then leader Jack Layton. In politics, you get to have your own viewpoint; you don’t get to invent your own policy.

Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles has had to deal with a situation similar to the one Jack Layton successfully handled. As full news of the current horrors against Israeli civilians was becoming known, one of her MPP’s sent out a post on X that was tilted against Israel and didn’t reflect party policy. Stiles at first insisted she apologize and withdraw her post. She did indeed apologize but thus far has refused her leader’s request to withdraw it. Stiles appears inclined to back down from the requirement to withdraw the comment.

The official policy of the NDP had always been to work with partners for justice and peace in the Middle East towards a two-state solution.

13-POINT PLAN

Beginning in 2021 and continuing last year, that fair and balanced approach has been gradually supplanted by a 13-point plan that got favourable reviews from anti-Israel activists but raised red flags within Israel itself.

These complex issues will always be vexing for progressives who fight for social justice and, for many, reflexively decide that there is an underdog and throw their support that way.

This week's butchery of Israeli men, women and children -- including hundreds of young people who died while attending a large music festival -- has been an eye opener for many.

Israel has been trying for years to explain that terrorist groups like Hamas want to not only destroy Israel, they want to kill Jews. Iran’s official policy is to destroy the state of Israel. Period.

The boast in the slogan often chanted at demonstrations that “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” means that from the Jordan to the Mediterranean there would be no more Israel. That chant is often relayed by Canadian activists who apparently never really gave serious thought about what it means.

They no longer have that excuse.

The coming days will likely bring even more sadness and bloodshed on all sides.

Netanyahu, for now, gets to beat his chest about the punishment that he’s about to unleash. It’s useful to him as he hopes it’ll help Israelis forget his abject failure of intelligence and preparedness.

His plans could cost much of the support the horrors of the past week have brought to Israel and, even more dangerously, spark a much wider conflict with no predictable outcome.

Across Israel and the Palestinian territories, average families will continue to want nothing more than peace for themselves and future generations. Those voices need to be heard now more than ever.

Tom Mulcair was the leader of the federal New Democratic Party of Canada between 2012 and 2017