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Motivation a key (John Baird’s History Lesson Overdue)

As published in the Jerusalem Post and Haaretz: January 25, 2015

Sir, – Regarding “Baird: ICC move an effort to tie Israel’s hand behind its back” (Diplomacy, January 23), the conduct of Canada’s foreign minister, as well as its prime minister, does Israel no favors and only justifies further marginalization of Palestinians within Israel and the West Bank. Gaza is in another sphere of misery.

The only way to fully comprehend the history of any issue is to study the work of a wide variety of scholars and commentators, particularly those with whom you disagree, and also those dissidents who risk their physical and economic security by opposing their government’s policies.

Therefore, rather than condemn those Palestinians who “… cheered, danced in the streets and handed out candy after 9/11,” as one Canadian pundit wrote last week, might it not be a good idea to discover the actual motivation for such odd behavior? Did not huge crowds of Americans noisily celebrate Osama bin Laden’s death? The ugly history of US support for brutal Middle East dictatorships must be considered when we criticize those who have been facing Pentagon-supplied weapons for decades.