Prime
Minister Stephen Harper called on NDP MP Libby Davies to resign as her
party's deputy leader after she suggested Israel has been occupying
territory since the country came into existence.
"Mr.
Speaker, this is a fundamental denial of Israel's right to exist,"
Harper said in the House of Commons on Tuesday. "It repeats the kind of
comments that were made by Helen Thomas on which she was forced to
resign and the member of the NDP who said those should be forced to
resign as well."
Thomas was the veteran White House correspondent
who resigned after saying Jews in Israel should "get the hell out of
Palestine" and "go back to Poland, Germany, America and everywhere
else."
Liberal foreign affairs critic Bob Rae also denounced
Davies' comments.
"To deny the state of Israel's right to exist
and to propose an international campaign of boycotts, divestments and
sanctions against a legitimate member of the world community for over
60 years is to reveal a level of hostility and ignorance that is truly
breathtaking," Rae said in a written statement.
In a media scrum
later, Rae argued that Davies' comments were not simply a slip of the
tongue and called for her to step down as deputy leader.
Earlier
this month, Davies was interviewed at a rally in Vancouver and asked
if she believes the occupation in Israel began in 1948 or 1967. After
hesitating, she answered:
"Forty-eight. I mean, it's the longest
occupation in the world. But I mean, I'm not going to argue numbers.
It's too long, right?" She went on to say, "I mean, this is the longest
occupation in the world. People are suffering. I've been to the West
Bank in Gaza twice so I've seen for myself what's going on."
The
state of Israel was established in 1948.
In the video, Davies is
also asked if she supports the international campaign of boycotts, divestments
and sanctions against Israel (known as the BDS movement).
"I haven't even actually gone that far. You gotta understand, I'm
probably the strongest supporter in Parliament. There is virtually no
information in the political arena or understanding about the BDS movement.
People are actually afraid to speak out on this issue.… Elected people
who are sympathetic are actually afraid to speak out," Davies answers.
Later in the video, Davies says she personally supports the BDS movement,
adding, however, that she's not "someone who's there" but is instead a
Canadian politician demanding the Canadian government speak out more on
the issues.
The interview was posted on YouTube.
Since
her comments were made public, Davies has posted on her website a
letter she sent to the editor of The Ottawa Citizen.
"My
reference to the year 1948 as the beginning of the Israeli occupation
of Palestinian territory was a serious and completely inadvertent
error," she wrote. "I apologize for this and regret any confusion it
has caused. I have always supported a two-state solution to the ongoing
Israeli-Palestinian conflict and have never questioned Israel's right
to exist and the Palestinians' right to a viable state."
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