## Stand with Israel: The Right Thing to Do Amidst Calls for Annihilation

Key Highlights :

1. There were two rallies held in Toronto on Thanksgiving Monday. One rally was called for peace and the other rally was called for the annihilation of Israel.

2. The juxtaposition between the rallies was shocking. "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," the pro-Palestine protestors chanted while marching up Bay St. after leaving City Hall. The chant may seem harmless enough, a call for the Palestinian people to have their own homeland, but it's much more than that. In saying from the river, meaning the Jordan River, to the sea, meaning the Mediterranean Sea, the protesters were calling for the destruction of Israel, the removal of Jewish people from the land.

3. This chant should be treated the same as people marching on Canadian streets giving the Hitler salute and the accompanying chant. Yes, we have freedom of speech in this country, but that doesn't mean some speech shouldn't be denounced. Similarly, marching up a main thoroughfare in Toronto chanting, "One solution, Intifada revolution," isn't a call for peace, it's a call for more violence.

4. All of this coming days after Hamas invaded Israel and committed the most heinous crimes can only be seen as those marchers on Monday supporting Hamas and their terrorist actions.

5. The crowd that marched up from Nathan Phillips Square to the Israeli Consulate on Bloor St. was not Canada or Toronto at its finest. It is one thing to call for human rights for people in Gaza and the West Bank, for a separate Palestinian state, for independence, but it is another thing entirely to cheer on a terrorist entity days after they started a brutal war. By comparison, the rally Monday night at Mel Lastman Square was one supporting Israel's right to exist, to defend itself, but also with calls for peace. The event even ended with prayers for peace for the whole region. That wasn't something that happened at the afternoon event.

     In recent weeks, the world has witnessed a stark contrast between two rallies in Toronto. On Thanksgiving Monday, calls for the annihilation of Israel were heard at one rally, while the other rally called for Israel to defend itself while also advocating for peace. This juxtaposition was shocking, and it is critical that we recognize the dangerous implications of such a rally.

     At the pro-Palestine rally, chants of “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” were heard. Though this may seem like an innocent call for a Palestinian homeland, it is in fact a call for the destruction of Israel and the removal of Jewish people from the land. Such messages of hate should be treated the same as people marching on Canadian streets giving the Hitler salute and the accompanying chant.

     The rally in the afternoon also included chants of “One solution, Intifada revolution” - a call for violence and not peace. This rally came days after Hamas invaded Israel and committed heinous crimes, making it clear that the protesters were supporting Hamas and their terrorist actions.

     At the rally in the evening at Mel Lastman Square, calls for Israel’s right to exist were heard, as well as calls for peace. The event ended with prayers for peace for the whole region, a stark contrast to the afternoon rally. Politicians from all parties and all levels of government were present to show their support for Israel, including Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Premier Doug Ford, Mayor Olivia Chow, and MP Melissa Lantsman, the deputy leader of the federal Conservative party.

     Premier Ford took time to condemn the rally earlier in the day, saying “We’ve seen hate rallies celebrating the kidnapping and slaughtering of innocent Israeli people. It’s reprehensible, it’s disgusting and these rallies have no place in Ontario, they have no place in Canada.” MP Lantsman urged those in attendance to make sure that leaders who are saying nice things now don’t start equivocating in the coming days.

     Given the recent violence and brutality, there should be no equivocation and no attempt at moral relativism. Toronto, Ontario, and Canada must stand with Israel - it is the right thing to do. We must not stand idly by while such hate rallies are held in our cities, and instead we must stand up for what is right and advocate for peace.

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