Early Wednesday morning, the eerie wail of sirens shattered the calm over Tel Aviv, a city of life and culture now haunted by the ever-present threat of terrorism. Above my hotel, the Iron Dome soared into action, intercepting a missile fired by Hezbollah — an attack aimed not at military installations, but at civilians. This was no accident. It was a deliberate attempt to inflict death and destruction upon Israel’s most densely populated city. And yet, the world remains largely silent, offering only the faintest of condemnations. Israel, as always, is expected to endure.
Why this silence? It isn’t because Israel strikes back, pounding Hezbollah’s positions in Lebanon, a country from which thousands of rockets have rained down since Oct. 7. No, the muted response is because Israel is once again defending itself — a right that seems to be questioned only when it’s Israel exercising it.
Here in Tel Aviv, I am surrounded by families torn from their homes in the north, where Hezbollah’s relentless barrage has made daily life impossible. My hotel is packed with evacuees — families forced into displacement by the terror that stalks Israel’s borders. There are 60,000 like them, uprooted from their homes, living in a state of limbo. One high school teacher, staying with his students, told me this week about the emotional devastation. “Their children are deeply depressed,” he confides, looking away as if the admission pains him. “We all thought this displacement would last a few months, but now it’s nearing a year. They’ve had enough.”
This unbearable strain on the lives of Israel’s children should resonate with anyone who values human dignity. Educators, parents and students alike around the world should be outraged. But in Toronto last week, outrage was reserved for something else entirely. Toronto District School Board (TDSB) teachers deceived their students into attending a pro-Palestinian rally cloaked as an environmental demonstration. Over 15 schools participated in this event, the so-called Grassy Narrows River Run, ostensibly to raise awareness about environmental contamination. The truth was far darker. Teachers used this opportunity to fuel anti-Israel sentiment among the young and impressionable.
The TDSB and the provincial government have rightly launched investigations, but even that may not suffice. Those responsible must face serious consequences if these allegations prove true. Leading students into the lion’s den of disinformation, where Palestinian terrorism is excused and even glorified, cannot go unpunished.
Instead of taking a stand against the terror of Hamas and Hezbollah, these educators aligned their students with the most brutal, Nazi-like terrorists of our time. This betrayal is made even worse when juxtaposed against the stories of Israeli-Arabs and Christians, who work tirelessly to promote coexistence. Their voices are drowned out by the lies perpetuated in these rallies.
One such voice is Maryam, a young Christian woman studying at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, who spoke to me this week. Her family fled Lebanon when she was just five years old, seeking safety from the horrors of Hezbollah. Today, Maryam speaks with deep gratitude for Israel, the country she calls home. “Israel welcomed us with open arms,” she says, her face brightening with pride. She speaks of her Christian community of 7,000, all of whom have thrived in Israel — a nation that offers opportunity and freedom to all its citizens, regardless of faith or ethnicity. She flatly rejects the apartheid slur, inviting anyone to witness firsthand the country’s pluralistic society. “The ignorance in the West is staggering,” she laments. “If only people would come and see the miracle that is Israel.”
Her story is just one of many. At the same university, a Bedouin physics graduate who spoke to me earlier this week is charting his own remarkable path. The first in his family to attend university, he is preparing to launch his own high-tech start-up, a dream nurtured by the opportunities afforded to him in Israel. “I am blessed,” he tells me. His story underscores the truth: In Israel, 35 per cent of doctors and 50 per cent of nurses are Arab, and Arab women make up 70 per cent of the Muslim student body. The narrative of oppression simply doesn’t hold up against the facts.
And yet, if you relied on the media or witnessed the anti-Israel protests sweeping across cities, you’d be led to believe Israel is among the worst violators of human rights, comparable to regimes like North Korea, Iran and Syria. But nothing could be further from the truth. The media bias against Israel distorts reality, masking the incredible efforts Israel makes to build bridges with its Arab community.
I spoke with Israel’s national director for Arab Affairs this week, a man proud of his Arab heritage. “Eighty-five percent of Israeli Arabs denounce Hamas and Hezbollah,” he told me. “They want no part in these terrorists’ identity. Our focus should be on dismantling the real threat — Iran.”
As Israel scales back its military operations in Gaza, despite 101 hostages still languishing in terror tunnels, it pushes Hezbollah toward a ceasefire, hoping to return displaced families to their homes. If Canadian schools and universities are truly committed to truth and justice, they should educate themselves about the reality in Israel. It’s time to stand against terror and with those who fight for peace.
National Post