I sent this piece to the Hamilton Spectator as an Opinion article. They did not publish it.
What’s driving antisemitism in schools?
HARRY SHANNON
Gustavo Rymberg, CEO of the Hamilton Jewish Federation, is right to call out the antisemitic incidents directed at Jewish children in our provincial schools (A call to action on antisemiti…
Tag: israel
Getting a start on the Nobel Peace Prize
Harry Shannon
Donald Trump seems to have his heart set on being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In support, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has even written a nomination letter for him.
Most people scoff at the prospect that Trump could get the award, given his record. Perhaps, but there are things Trump could do to justify the Priz…
Accusations meant to intimidate
And this is the second letter, which is in today's print version of the Hamilton Spectator. I have been concerned for some time that many Gentiles are appalled by what Israel has been doing, not just since October 7, 2023, but also long before. But because they don't want to be accused of antisemitism, they are cowed into silence. My letter aims t…
Gaza war statistics
Harry Shannon
You’ll occasionally hear arguments about the accuracy of the numbers of casualties in the Gaza war. Media reports tend to refer to the “Hamas-run” Gaza Ministry of Health when quoting its statistics, as if that makes them suspect.Several central points:
Israeli military intelligence considers the numbers from the Gaz…
“Israel has always sought a peace settlement.” Really?
Harry Shannon
I keep hearing people saying that Israel has always been ready to reach a peace settlement with Palestinians, but there’s no “Partner for Peace.” This argument is best exemplified by former Israeli Foreign Minister Abba Eban’s sly and often-repeated saying that the Palestinians “never miss an opportunity to miss an oppor…
Responsibility for the war is not one-sided
Harry Shannon
An Opinion article I wrote, published in the Hamilton Spectator.
On October 7, I nearly lost my brother and sister.
My brother lives with his wife on Kibbutz Saad, near the Gaza border. That weekend, my sister was visiting from Jerusalem. Saad is right in the middle of some 20 or so villages and kibbutzim which were attacked…
BDS is not antisemitic
There was an OpEd in the Hamilton Spectator recently on BDS (the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement against Israel). There’s been a campaign attacking Sara Jama, an MPP (member of the Ontario legislature) who is black and wheelchair-bound. She’s a supporter of BDS (the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement against Israel), hence…
United Nations vote on Palestinians’ right of self-determination
Harry Shannon
Here's a letter I wrote to my member of Parliament, Filomena Tassi. I copied it to François-Philippe Champagne, the new Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau:
Dear Ms. Tassi,Firstly, congratulations on your re-election, and your appointment as Minister of Labour. My main reason for writing is tha…
My letter in the Hamilton Spectator, May 14
Background: This letter responded to one a few days earlier in the Hamilton Spectator. That letter in turn was commenting on the story in the paper about Rabbi David Mivasair, who went to the West Bank to help repair a road used by Palestinian villagers to access health care, etc. He was arrested by Israeli forces.
RE: RABBI’S VIEWS CLASH…