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🇮🇱 Israel /Elections & Politics

Carney appoints denier of Al-Aqsa Martyrs' terror status, encampment lawyer to antisemitism council

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Prime Minister Mark Carney appointed a new advisory council to combat antisemitism in Canada, including members with controversial past statements.
  • Former Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, a council member, previously criticized media for labeling Middle Eastern groups as terrorists and questioned Hamas's intent to eliminate Israel.
  • Alghabra's past statements and associations have drawn criticism, particularly his role as former president of the Canadian Arab Federation, which opposed listing certain groups as terrorist organizations.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has established a new Ministerial Advisory Council on Rights, Equality, and Inclusion, tasked with assessing antisemitism in Canada. However, the council's composition has sparked controversy due to the inclusion of individuals with past statements and associations that critics deem problematic.

Canada's civic compact is failing Jewish Canadians.

— Mark CarneyPrime Minister Mark Carney's acknowledgment of the challenges faced by Jewish Canadians during a speech.

Among the appointees is former Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, who previously led the Canadian Arab Federation. In 2004, Alghabra criticized media outlets for labeling Middle Eastern groups as "terrorists," citing the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades as an example. The federation argued that such descriptors indicated bias in reporting. The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades were designated a terrorist entity by Canada in 2003.

Further scrutiny has fallen on Alghabra's past remarks regarding other groups. In a 2006 interview, he reportedly stated he did not believe Hamas sought Israel's elimination, though he condemned violence against civilians. While he described Hamas as a terrorist organization in a 2016 parliamentary debate, his earlier tenure at the Canadian Arab Federation saw the organization oppose listing Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah as terrorist entities. He also offered condolences to the Palestinian people upon Yasser Arafat's death in 2004.

CanWest, one of the largest media conglomerates in Canada, is failing its responsibility towards all Canadians, not just Arabs and Muslims. The media has moral and ethical obligations to report the facts when it comes to news reporting, not the opinions of their editors.

— Omar AlghabraA 2004 press release from Alghabra, then president of the Canadian Arab Federation, criticizing media bias.

Carney acknowledged during a speech at Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto that "Canada's civic compact is failing Jewish Canadians." The council also includes former senator Marc Gold, LGBT activist Martine Roy, retired Olympian Catriona Le May Doan, Metis advocate Gary LaPlante, academic Dr. Aftab Erfan, and litigator Avnish Nanda. The inclusion of Alghabra, in particular, raises questions about the council's effectiveness in addressing rising antisemitism.

He has played a t

— Omar AlghabraAlghabra's condolences upon the death of Yasser Arafat.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Jerusalem Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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