Why should Canadians care about the 60+ years of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Why should we concern ourselves with what happened ‘over there’ during the past week and a half? Why should we be interested in the permit system that the Israeli government has imposed on people living in the occupied Palestinian territories? It’s not as though we’ve had a ‘say’ in it… that Canada’s colonial pass-and-permit system imposed on Aboriginal peoples in the late 19th-early 20th century served as a point of reference for the South-African apartheid system or that in turn, the South-African apartheid system served as a point of reference for the Israeli permit system that restricts freedom of movement and is separating two societies [in other words: apartheid, which means apart-ness (here), separation (here); also, here]. It’s not as though we’re living with the effects of apartheid right now in a society that ignores what the United Nations declares as unacceptable (e.g., food insecurity among Aboriginal peoples, here). Actually, I perceive that we are living with effects of apartheid;  the socio-structural impact is horrific regarding living standards among many First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples on Turtle Island…

It’s not as if the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is simply ‘over there’… We just need to open our eyes and ears to see and hear the voices of Canadian-Israelis (e.g., Lisa Goldman, click here) and Canadian-Palestinians (e.g., Rafeef Ziadah, click here) who are seeking an end to the Israeli government’s occupation of Palestine… To help clarify understanding about the nature of the conflict, see these 10 myths as identified by Israeli historian, Ilan Pappe (here and here)…

Didn’t a Canadian (Marshall McLuhan – born in Edmonton, Alberta) anticipate how we would all become a global village (here)? We are all part of this conflict… let’s start responding and taking action whenever and wherever we can…

Action: Please share this posting and the links to the thoughtful voices that are out there…share this with family, friends, on Facebook, Twitter…