Christian Rioux constantly surpasses himself. In his column in Le Devoir on November 10 (« The words of Hamas »), he denies the existence of « colonization », « occupation », « apartheid » and « genocide ». These would be words from Hamas propaganda. He is ready to stand alone, against all odds, even if it is to be a horseman of the apocalypse.
No colonization? There is no metropolis, you see. Colonization is made into something that can only take place at a distance. And yet, we know very well that Canada can have a colonial relationship with the indigenous peoples found on its territory. And the presence of 500,000 settlers in the West Bank is not an invention of the Holy Spirit.
No occupation? UN resolutions make the West Bank and Gaza occupied territories. There are no longer any settlers in Gaza, but the Gaza Strip has been an open-air prison for 16 years, transformed into a concentration camp and now an extermination camp.
No apartheid? Former President of the United States Jimmy Carter admitted this a long time ago (Peace not Apartheid, Simon & Schuster, 2007). The NGOs Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and B’tselem describe Israel as an apartheid regime.
No genocide? Here is an extract from our text « Israel in Gaza: a genocidal enterprise? » published in Pressenza, November 8. (co-written with Samir Saul)
“In the Guardian, journalist Chris McGreal believes that the language used to describe Palestinians is genocidal. Journalist Raz Segal even considers it a textbook case of genocide. UN special envoy Riyad Mansour has accused Israel of waging a genocidal campaign against Gaza. Several experts commissioned by the UN believe that Israel runs the risk of being accused of genocide. A senior official at the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Craig Mokhiber, resigned in protest against the “failure” of the United Nations to prevent what he called a “genocide” of Palestinian civilians. »
While Rioux worries about “Hamas’ words,” others worry about the deaths in Gaza.