For Immediate Release
Toronto, June 3, 2001… In a letter to Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister of Israel, B’nai Brith Canada leadership reiterated that it would support the government in whatever course of action it deemed necessary to ensure the safety of its civilians.
Rochelle Wilner, President of B’nai Brith Canada, commented: “The restraint your government has shown in the last few days in the face of over 150 terror incidents has been remarkable. However, we have grave concerns that Israeli citizens have thereby been left vulnerable to the ravages of Palestinian terror. Given the opportunity once again to accept peace, the Palestinian have turned to suicide bombings. It is only under extreme pressure that Yasir Arafat has belatedly announced a ceasefire. It remains to be seen whether he will keep his word.”
Frank Dimant, Executive Vice President, assured the Prime Minister that, “should it become necessary, as now seems evident, to act decisively to dismantle the infrastructure of terror and uproot its sources within the Palestinian Authority, he will have B’nai Brith Canada’s continuing and complete support.”
Amos Sochaczevski, National Chair of the Institute for International Affairs, noted that there have been over 5,000 armed attacks against Israelis since the beginning of Arafat’s war, but few have evoked the kind of outrage that has followed the Tel Aviv massacre. “We call on the Canadian government to speak out clearly against terrorism and condemn Arafat’s role in co-operating with the perpetrators of such acts. Canada must show unequivocal support for its sister democracy Israel in its quest to protect the security of its citizens.”
-30-
B’nai Brith has been active in Canada since 1875. It established the Institute for International Affairs to monitor human rights abuses throughout the world, to study the conditions of Jewish communities in distress, and to track and respond to the treatment of Israel-related issues by the United Nations and its agencies, government and non-governmental agencies, and the global media
For more information, please contact:
Rochelle Wilner or Frank Dimant at (416) 633-6224
Amos Sochaczevski (514) 733-5377
Institute for International Affairs
| Commission
on Jewish Culture
| Sports Corporation
| League
for Human Rights
| Publications
Current Press Releases
| Government Relations Office
| Centre for Community Action
| B’nai
Brith Foundation
The Jewish Tribune
| Links
| Canadian Jewish Law Students Association
| B’nai Brith Canada