LONDON, Ontario — Representatives of Canada’s Muslim and Arab communities demanded Saturday that the country’s top opposition leader resign after he said that Israel had the moral high ground in the Mideast conflict.
Stockwell Day, who heads the right-of-center Canadian Alliance, also condemned Palestinians’ role in the ongoing conflict and blamed them for premeditated acts of terrorism. He made the comments in a speech to the Canadian Jewish Congress last week.
Munir El-Kassem, a representative of the Canadian Islamic Conference, accused Day Saturday of spreading hatred against Palestinians.
“He is not fit to be the leader of the opposition,” El-Kassem said in a briefing by Canada’s Muslim and Arab communities in London, Ontario. “A national leader is expected to unite all segments of society, not to instigate racial hatred and intolerance.”
El-Kassem’s call for Day’s resignation was echoed by Atif Kubursi, president of the National Council of Arab-Canada Relations.
“Mr. Day is not entitled to foment strife amongst communities. He is not entitled to build his faltering leadership on a maligned people,” Kubursi said.
Day’s leadership of the Alliance, which has the second largest number of seats in Parliament, has been shaky of late. He has been blamed for his party’s disappointing performance in November general elections, when they were easily defeated by Prime Minister Jean Chretien’s Liberal Party.
Since the latest round of fighting erupted in the Middle East in late September, 440 Palestinians have been killed and 77 Israelis.
