Canada, along with the most powerful nations in the world, recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization. Throughout most of the history of the Gaza Strip, these terrorists have not recognized Israel’s right to exist. As a result, they suicide bomb, fire rockets, and do everything they can to maim Israel. In return, Israel responds by taking out as many of the terrorists as possible. The difference between the two sides is that one attacks innocent civilians and one attacks recognized terrorists. These are the facts. People may argue that there are innocent civilian casualties killed by the Israelis, but isn’t that a part of war? No military in the world would be capable of completely avoiding civilians in such a densely populated area such as Gaza.
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Before I jump into the current conflict and escalation of violence between Israel and Hamas-ruled Gaza, some background information and history of the Gaza Strip will help paint the picture a little better. Although brief, it will certainly help make clear how the recent conflict came to be. I’ll also discuss various responses to the recent incidents from Canada and other countries.

The Gaza Strip is a coastal territory along the Mediterranean Sea bordering Egypt to the South West and Israel to the East and North. It is home to approximately 1.5 million people in a total area of just 360 square kilometers, making it one of the most densely populated regions in the world. Throughout Israel’s existence, the Gaza Strip has remained a controversial issue in the Middle East conflict and has been under the control of various groups in its history.

Starting in 1517, the area was controlled by the Ottoman Empire up until the First World War. In 1917, control of the strip shifted to the British, becoming part of the British Mandate of Palestine and under the authority of the League of Nations. British rule of the strip ended following the Israeli War of Independence in 1948, when Israel became a sovereign Jewish state. Following Israel’s independence, control of the strip was placed into the hands of the Egyptians. In 1967, during the 6 Day War, Israel invaded the Gaza Strip occupying it for 27 years until 1994 when the Oslo Accords were signed. The signing of the Oslo Accords transferred governmental control of the strip from Israel to the Palestinian Authority under the leadership of Yasser Arafat.
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It scares me when Canada is called a safe haven for terrorists by many other countries. For years, terrorists have been setting up shop in Canada by taking advantage of Canada’s liberal immigration laws and lacking screening process. Once in Canada, they are able to operate freely in any part of the country, mainly as a result of weak law enforcement. Terrorists find it easy to enter Canada by posing as refugees and crossing the unprotected US-Canada border.

In fact, there are currently 40 recognized terrorist organizations operating in Canada according to Public Safety Canada. Some well-known players on the list include: Al Qaida, Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Tamil Tigers and the Palestinian Liberation Front. Our very own intelligence service stated, in a report from August 2002, that aside from the US, Canada hosts the most international terrorist organizations in the world.
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