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Canada’s Indigenous People Who Support Zionism
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks as he and US President Donald Trump (not pictured) meet in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, US, Oct. 7, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
For Jewish Canadians, the period after October 7 has been a lonely time.
The Biblical phrase from the Book of Numbers, describing the Israelites as “a people that dwells alone; not reckoned among the nations,” seems particularly apt today.
Fred Maroun, a Canadian of Lebanese origin, compares the lack of support for the Jewish people after October 7 to their abandonment during the Holocaust. Maroun also remarks on a truth rarely seen in Western media: Hamas’ use of Palestinian civilians and Israeli hostages as human shields has resulted in the demonization of Israel around the world.
But not by everyone. A number of Indigenous Canadian activists have been outspoken in their support for Israel and the Jewish people. They have rejected the attempt to establish a point of intersection between their own efforts to assert their identities and cultures, and the aims and practices employed by Hamas and its supporters.
On October 16, 2023, just eight days after the Hamas attack on Israel, Meaghie Champion, an Indigenous Canadian from British Columbia, criticized the use of the term “decolonization” as a fig leaf for supporting Hamas.
“Decolonization is not about rape, kidnapping, hostage taking, mass violence and child-murder,” Champion said. Indigenous struggles in North America have been predominantly peaceful.
Six months later, Harry Laforme and Karen Restoule, prominent Indigenous Canadians, made the same point in the National Post. Describing themselves as Anishinaabe Zionists (Anishinaabe are Indigenous peoples from the Great Lakes region of North America), they emphasize that Jews are indigenous to the Middle East. According to them, accusations related to colonization and decolonization do not justify terror, violence, kidnapping and rape.
I live in Waterloo, a small city in Ontario that is home to two universities. Both of them are located on traditional territory of Indigenous peoples, a point acknowledged at all university functions and special events. Laforme and Restoule note the irony of pro-Palestinian university demonstrations and encampments taking place on Indigenous land for purposes of exclusion, antisemitism, lawlessness, and hate.
This past May, Laforme, the first Indigenous appellate court judge in Canadian history, gave a talk at Tel Aviv University’s Democracy Forum, in which he described how Indigenous history is weaponized to promote antisemitism. In effect, pro-Palestinian activists in Canada use Israel as a stand-in for colonial guilt as “a way to absolve and redirect collective shame over Indigenous suffering.”
Indigenous groups in other parts of the world have also voiced strong support for Israel, particularly those in New Zealand and Australia. The Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem, founded in 2024 by Sheree Trotter and Alfred Nagaro, both of New Zealand, is a platform for Indigenous nations to express their solidarity with Israel and the Jewish people. Indeed, Sheree Trotter and other Embassy representatives participated in Toronto’s impressive March for Israel last May.
Why this sense of kinship? Knowing what it is like to be targeted for extermination must have a lot to do with it. Indeed, the violent language used by pro-Palestinian protestors, the use of terms such as “by any means necessary” and “there is only one solution, intifada revolution,” are offensive and genocidal, and suggest the intent of extinction.
Indigenous Canadians know about genocide. Laforme and Restoule note that when questioned about the high death rate among Indigenous children in Residential Schools, one senior Canadian bureaucrat said, in 1910, “this alone does not justify a change in the policy of this Department, which is geared to the final solution of our Indian problem.” Yes, another final solution.
When it comes to advocacy on behalf of Israel and the Jewish people, perhaps Ryan Bellerose, a Métis activist from northern Manitoba, takes the prize. For more than a decade, Bellerose has been writing articles, giving addresses, and appearing on social media as an unwavering supporter of the indigenous claim of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel.
To Ryan Bellerose and Harry Laforme, Israel is an example, possibly the only one, of a people that achieved self-determination in their ancestral homeland. Bellerose also points out that indigenous rights are about respecting the rights of those who came before you.
A narrative based on the denial of Jewish history — and the lie that Zionists are merely European settler-colonialists — will never lead to peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
Jacob Sivak, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, is a retired professor, University of Waterloo.
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‘For As Long As Necessary’: Katz Says Campaign Against Iran Entering Decisive Stage
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz and his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias make statements to the press, at the Ministry of Defense in Athens Greece, Jan. 20, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki
i24 News – Israel Katz said Saturday that the confrontation with Iran had entered a “decisive phase,” as US and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets continued and regional tensions escalated.
Speaking after a security assessment at Israel’s defense headquarters alongside Eyal Zamir, chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, and senior military and intelligence officials, the Israeli defense minister said the campaign against the Islamic Republic would continue “for as long as necessary.”
“The global and regional struggle against Iran, led by American President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is intensifying and entering its decisive phase,” Katz said.
Katz also praised US strikes on Kharg Island, a key Iranian oil hub, describing them as a “severe blow” to the Iranian regime. He said the attacks were an appropriate response to Iranian threats against the strategic Strait of Hormuz and to what he called Tehran’s attempts to pressure the international community.
At the same time, Katz said the Israeli Air Force was continuing a “powerful wave of attacks” against targets in Tehran and other parts of Iran.
He accused the Iranian leadership of using “regional and global terrorism” and strategic blackmail in an effort to deter Israel and the United States from pursuing their military campaign, warning that such actions would be met with a “strong and uncompromising response.”
Katz added that the outcome of the conflict would ultimately depend on the Iranian population. “Only the Iranian people can put an end to this situation through a determined struggle, until the overthrow of the terrorist regime and the salvation of Iran,” he said.
According to the minister, the confrontation now pits the Iranian regime’s determination to survive against growing military pressure from Israel and its allies.
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Trump Rejects Efforts to Launch Iran Ceasefire Talks, Sources Say
US President Donald Trump speaks on the day he honors reigning Major League Soccer (MLS) champion Inter Miami CF players and team officials with an event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, March 5, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
President Donald Trump’s administration has rebuffed efforts by Middle Eastern allies to start diplomatic negotiations aimed at ending the Iran war that started two weeks ago with a massive US-Israeli air assault, according to three sources familiar with the efforts.
Iran, for its part, has rejected the possibility of any ceasefire until US and Israeli strikes end, two senior Iranian sources told Reuters, adding that several countries had been trying to mediate an end to the conflict.
The lack of interest from Washington and Tehran suggests both sides are digging in for an extended conflict, even as the widening war inflicts civilian casualties and Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz sends oil prices soaring.
US strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island, the country’s main oil export hub, on Friday night underscored Trump’s determination to press ahead with his military assault. Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has vowed to keep the Strait of Hormuz shut and threatened to step up attacks on neighboring countries.
The war has killed more than 2,000 people, mostly in Iran, and created the biggest-ever oil supply disruption as maritime traffic has halted in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil is transported.
ATTEMPTS TO OPEN LINES OF COMMUNICATION
Oman, which mediated talks before the war, has tried multiple times to open a line of communication, but the White House has made clear it is not interested, according to two sources, who like others in this story were granted anonymity in order to speak freely about diplomatic matters.
A senior White House official confirmed Trump has rebuffed those efforts to start talks and is focused on pressing ahead with the war to further weaken Tehran’s military capabilities.
“He’s not interested in that right now, and we’re going to continue with the mission unabated. Maybe there’s a day, but not right now,” the official said.
During the first week of the war, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that Iran’s leadership and military were so battered by US-Israeli strikes that they wanted to talk, but that it was “Too Late!” He has a history of shifting foreign policy stances without warning, making it hard to rule out that he might test the waters for restarting diplomacy.
“President Trump said new potential leadership in Iran has indicated they want to talk and eventually will talk. For now, Operation Epic Fury continues unabated,” a second senior White House official said when asked to comment on this story.
The Iranian sources said Tehran has rejected efforts by several countries to negotiate a ceasefire until the US and Israel end their airstrikes and meet Iran’s demands, which include a permanent end to US and Israeli attacks and compensation as part of a ceasefire.
Egypt, which was involved in mediation before the war, has also tried to reopen communications, according to three security and diplomatic sources. While the efforts do not appear to have made progress, they have secured some military restraint from neighboring countries hit by Iran, according to one of the sources.
Egypt’s foreign ministry, the government of Oman and the Iranian government did not respond to requests for comment.
POSITIONS HARDEN ON ALL SIDES
The war’s impact on global oil markets has significantly increased the cost for the United States.
Some US officials and advisers to Trump urge a quick end to the war, warning that surging gasoline prices could exact a high political price from the president’s Republican Party, with US midterm elections looming.
Others are pressing Trump to maintain the offensive against the Islamic Republic to destroy its missile program and prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon, according to Reuters reporting.
Trump’s rejection of diplomatic efforts could indicate that, for now, the administration has no plans for a quick end to the war.
Indeed, both the United States and Iran appear even less willing to engage than during the opening days of the war, when senior US officials reached out to Oman to discuss de-escalating, according to several sources.
One source said Iran’s top security official, Ali Larijani, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had also sought to use Oman as a conduit for ceasefire discussions that would have involved U.S. Vice President JD Vance.
But those discussions have not materialized.
Instead, Iran’s position has hardened, said a third senior Iranian source.
“Whatever was communicated previously through the diplomatic channels is irrelevant now,” said the source.
“The Guards strongly believe that if they lose control over the Strait of Hormuz, Iran will lose the war,” the source added, referring to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an elite paramilitary force that controls large parts of the economy.
“Therefore, the Guards will not accept any ceasefire, ceasefire talks, or diplomatic efforts, and Iran’s political leaders will not engage in such talks despite attempts by several countries.”
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US Strikes More Than 90 Iranian Military Targets on Kharg Island, CENTCOM Says
A satellite image shows an oil terminal at Kharg Island, Iran, February 25, 2026. Photo: 2026 Planet Labs PBC/Handout via REUTERS
United States forces executed a large-scale precision strike on Kharg Island in Iran on Friday night, the US Central Command said on Saturday.
“US forces successfully struck more than 90 Iranian military targets on Kharg Island, while preserving the oil infrastructure,” CENTCOM said.
The strike destroyed naval mine storage facilities, missile storage bunkers, and multiple other military sites, the US military said in a post on X.
President Donald Trump threatened on Friday to strike the oil infrastructure of Iran’s Kharg Island hub, unless Tehran stopped attacking vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.