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December 24, 2004
Progress seen with labor
Local Jewish groups seem to get their points heard.
PAT JOHNSON
It may not be a return to the old days when Zionism and trade unionism
were inseparable allies, but some local Jewish community leaders
are cautiously optimistic that a recent incident may signal the
beginning of a rapprochement.
The British Columbia Federation of Labor passed a resolution condemning
Israel's security barrier last month, but not before the Canadian
Jewish Congress and the Canada-Israel Committee were able to correct
a basic inaccuracy in the resolution. Although the resolution ended
up passing, Zionist activists say they feel their concerns were
heard. Originally, the resolution stated that the International
Court of Justice had ruled that Israel's security barrier contravened
international law. In fact, The Hague court's decision was a non-binding
advisory opinion, a point made in a letter from two local organizations
to the head of the union from which the resolution came.
The motion originated with the social justice advisory committee
of the B.C. Teachers' Federation (BCTF) and progressed to the B.C.
Federation of Labor, which is the umbrella labor organization for
the province, at its general convention in Vancouver, Nov. 29 to
Dec. 3.
The BCTF decided to reconsider the issue after a joint letter to
the BCTF from Mark Weintraub, chair of Canadian Jewish Congress,
Pacific Region, and Bob Willmot, chair of the B.C. branch of the
Canada-Israel Committee. The letter outlined the concerns the two
organizations had over the nature of the resolution, which condemned
Israel's fence without condemning the terrorism that is the root
cause of the barrier.
"This resolution lacks context, accuracy and the requisite
balance," wrote Weintraub and Willmot. "Members [of the
union] who know little about the conflict should be properly presented
with full information and a balanced resolution if they are being
asked to vote on something so controversial and so potentially alienating
for some longtime and stalwart members of the labor movement who
feel the concept of a security barrier is sound, although they may
disagree with its routing."
As a result, the BCTF returned the issue to its executive, which
some activists assumed meant the issue would be shelved for the
time being. But a different group managed to get a similar resolution
to the plenary after all.
"We understand that, the next day, individuals who are associated
with the elementary teachers' association put forth a similar motion
but, by reason of internal constitutional process, that motion was
able to proceed to the B.C. Federation of Labor convention floor,"
Weintraub said.
The resolution, in the end, "resolved that the B.C. Federation
of Labor through the Canadian Labor Congress demand that the Canadian
government exert all possible pressure on the Israeli government
to dismantle the wall built by Israel on occupied Palestinian territory."
It may not seem like a ringing victory for a balanced presentation
of Middle East issues, but spokespeople for both the Canada-Israel
Committee and Congress say that it is a sign labor is willing to
engage with them on their concerns.
"This shift emphasizes the significance of engaging in a dialogue
with the labor movement and calling to task the various inaccuracies
in a constructive manner. The change in the text of the resolution
is a result of this effort," said Nava Mizrahi, director of
the Canada-Israel Committee for the Pacific region. "Again,
it's a small but important first step."
Regrettably, she said, the final resolution did not address the
very reason why Israel is building the anti-terror fence in the
first place and it therefore lacks the requisite balance. Mizrahi
suggests that such imbalance and lack of context does not contribute
to achieving Arab-Israeli peace, but in fact may undermine the labor
movement's claims to fairness and social justice.
"One-sided and inaccurate resolutions can easily be interpreted
as a perversion of the social justice concerns [labor] purports
to support," she said.
It may have been the process, as much as the final product, which
gave encouragement to the CIC and Congress representatives, Mizrahi
acknowledged, an attitude echoed by Weintraub.
"We were very much aware that there were individuals who were
concerned by the one-sided nature of the resolution," Weintraub
said. "There were other individuals who were highly motivated,
[who] appeared to be very intent to have this motion be put forward....
We're still disappointed that there wasn't a proper emphasis on
the reason why the security barrier had been implemented, namely
to stop terrorism. That motivating reason was absent from the resolution
and therefore if anyone is reading that resolution, it doesn't really
make sense. It is just a one-sided condemnation. We are disappointed,
but we do take cognizance of the fact that there was debate by reason
of our communication and that there was some modification for the
purposes of trying to be a little more balanced."
Jewish trade unionists, who have sometimes found themselves at odds
with their allies as the Canadian labor movement has adopted wide-ranging
and often vitriolic anti-Israel positions over the past several
years, remain reticent as controversy continues to swirl. One prominent
labor leader said the place for him to make his contribution is
inside the movement, not in media.
Meanwhile, other efforts have been made between the Jewish community
and Canada's left. Canadian Jewish Congress recently met with New
Democratic Party members of Parliament Libby Davies (Vancouver East)
and Bill Siksay (Burnaby-Douglas) to discuss a range of issues,
including the imminent crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan.
"We met with [the MPs] on a number of issues including Darfur,
resurgent anti-Semitism and the NDP's relationship with the Jewish
community," said Weintraub. "CJC has met with Libby Davies
on a number of occasions over the years and there have often been
open exchanges on issues of agreement and issues of disagreement.
We always value her accessibility and her commitment to listen carefully
to views which she may not agree with."
Pat Johnson is a B.C. journalist and commentator.
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