In the blog entry that comes immediately before this one, I omitted specifically naming Palestine and Palestinian people.
The blog entry is written in such a way that it may appear that I conflate being Muslim with being Palestinian or – even worse – that I do not care about or recognize Palestinian people, their trauma and grief, and the genocide being committed against them.
In actuality, I do not conflate being Muslim with being Palestinian or vice versa, and I care very much about the genocide against Palestinian people.
Upon re-reading the entry, it’s obvious – because of the way I wrote it – why people took issue with my omission of naming Palestine and Palestinian people. My omission has caused harm to people in our community, and I am very sorry.
I am extremely aware that no matter what Council did last Thursday, harm had already been caused by the motion and more would have been caused in debating the motion. No matter what we did.
Outside of this motion, the Israeli/Palestinian conflict has caused significant harm within the community. I was contacted by many members of the Niagara community who have been re-traumatized over the last few months, as they continue to bear witness to the atrocities being committed on their loved ones, and also with the rise of anti-Palestinian racism, anti-semitism, and Islamophobia. Applying a trauma-informed approach to my decision-making, I decided that having a discussion within Council Chambers would have provided a platform for further re-traumatization of those who had reached out to me directly, including members of the Palestinian community who were sharing their thoughts and feelings with me.
To those who have been hurt, I am deeply sorry that the decision made by Regional Council continues the narrative that the voices of Palestinian people and community members don’t matter. Your voices do matter. It is because your voices matter that I chose to respect and honour the requests of the Palestinian people and other community members who explicitly requested that this motion not be brought to Council. For those of you who this choice hurt, I apologize.
What Israel is doing to Palestinian people is genocide, and much of the way this invasion has been and continues to be discussed by private individuals, elected officials, and bureaucrats lacks a complete understanding of the history of Israel and Palestine. This lack of understanding is one factor in why too many discussions devolve into anti-Palestinian racism, anti-semitism, and Islamophobia.
One can criticize the state of Israel and its Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and not be anti-semitic. One can criticize Hamas and not harbour racist views or feelings against Palestinian people or be Islamophobic.
I appreciate that people have reached out to discuss with me what happened at last week’s Regional Council meeting and their thoughts on whether it was the right thing or the wrong thing to do.
One person who reached out to me recommended some reading, and I’ve placed an order for two books (pictured).
Except for Palestine: The Limits of Progressive Politics and The Blue Between Sky and Water are on their way, and I commit to reading them as soon as they arrive. Like many individuals within our community, I, too, have much more to learn about how to engage in this conversation in an informed and thoughtful way. I am on a continuous path of learning and by no means consider myself an expert on this conflict. Instead, I am committed to learning, to understanding, and to broadening my understanding.
As I noted in my first blog entry on this topic, I support a just and lasting peace for Israel and Palestine. I am galled and deeply upset at the violence, loss, and devastation over the last several months, beginning with the horrific attack of October 7th and the ongoing genocide in Gaza and against Palestinian people.
Finally, as already demonstrated, these are complex and important conversations to continue to have; however, the static nature of blog entries and social media dialogue is limiting. As Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Committee at the Region, I continue to be committed to curiosity, to listening to new perspectives, and to gaining a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by our community. I welcome continued dialogue around this topic; however, I do not anticipate continuing to engage about the events of last Thursday through blog entries or social media platforms.
Karl Dockstader and Sean Vanderklis have an important discussion with Patty Krawec in this interview on One Dish One Mic. Their discussion begins with some of the history of which too many people (myself included) are unaware and then goes into an equally important discussion about why everyone should be discussing the genocide of Palestinian people. I fully agree.
If you are looking for a way to try to assist Palestinian refugees to Niagara and you have the resources to do so, I might suggest a donation to Niagara Folk Arts Multicultural Centre. There is a place on the donation form to select the Fund to which you’d like to donate. You can select 8 – Other and then make a note that your donation is for the resettlement of Palestinian refugees, if that’s where you’d like your donation to go. Donations can also be made to the Fort Erie Multicultural Centre, and it appears that – when you click the Donate button – you will be taken to a page where you can also include a note about how you would like your donation to be used.
*Note: There have been comments made on the last few blog posts that I have not approved to be published. One made it through moderation yesterday without my review and has since been unapproved. I will not provide a platform for anti-Palestinian racism, anti-semitism, Islamophobia, or other racism, misogyny, or abuse, which is why I have not actively approved any comments and, when a commenter pointed out that they felt I was ‘censoring’ their comment because one comment had made it through moderation, I unapproved the comment that had been published.
Laura Ip - Regional Councillor 