Canada

I was surprised reading the article how much evidence was presented of Singh specifically/individually kowtowing to the Israel lobby. Nothing's ever galvanized the "Singh's got to go" sentiment in me as strongly

Amidst Israel’s slaughter in Gaza, the divide between NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and party supporters, as well as his caucus, has become glaring.

Outside a bowling hall in a Montreal on Sunday I tried to ask Singh whether he agreed with South Africa that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. He refused to answer and a member of his RCMP detail told me I didn’t have the right to “bother” the NDP leader, pushing me away and knocking my phone out of my hands.

This was in stark contrast to NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice who minutes before Singh arrived took my questions. Boulerice agreed that Canadian charities that funnel money to the Israeli military should lose their charitable status, Canadians fighting in Gaza should be investigated for war crimes and that South Africa has a strong case that Israel is committing genocide.

Boulerice’s position aligns with NDP supporters. A recent Angus Reid poll found that NDP voters were five times (68 per cent to 14 per cent) more likely to say “Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians” than “Israel is not committing genocide”.

In one of Singh’s more crass displays of anti-Palestinianism, the NDP leader refused to mention the long oppressed group when asked about resolutions submitted to the 2021 NDP convention regarding “Canada’s relationship to Israel and the Palestinian territory.” Instead of responding to the question, he mentioned “anti-Semitism” four times. Asked again by the CBC interviewer about “resolutions that in a sense condemn Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians”, Singh again failed to mention Palestine or Palestinians. Instead, he talked about “increased hate crimes also against people of the Jewish faith.” Singh’s complete erasure of Palestinians was hard to listen to and prompted a massive backlash.