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In West Bank Meeting, Canadian Ministers Take Firm Line with Palestinians

(Globe and Mail-Canada) Patrick Martin - Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty journeyed to the West Bank on Monday where they sought to impress upon the Palestinian leadership that it should abandon its efforts to obtain UN recognition and return to the negotiating table with Israel "without preconditions." Baird added, "We have no interest in interacting with Hamas. It is a terrorist organization." Later, Baird explained why the Harper government "believes so passionately in Israel's right not only to exist, but to exist as a Jewish state and to live in peace and security." "Israel today is a country whose very existence is under attack, both literally and figuratively." "Whether it is rockets raining down on Israeli schools, or the constant barrage of rhetorical demonization, double standards and delegitimization, Israel is under attack." "The easy thing to do would be simply to go along with anti-Israeli sentiment to get along with other countries." "But Canada will not 'go along to get along,'" he said.
2012-01-31 00:00:00
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