Majority back Harper's support of Israel, poll shows

Vito Pilieci, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Monday, August 14, 2006

An overwhelming number of Canadians support Prime Minister Stephen Harper's assertion that Israel's attacks on Lebanon are justified because Israel has a right to self defence and say Iran and Syria are wrong to have armed Hezbollah, according to a new poll to be released today.

The poll, which was conducted by public opinion researcher COMPAS Inc., will appear today in the news magazine Western Standard. The poll states that 82 per cent of Canadians asked believe that Israel has a right to self defence.

The results come on the heels of protests by Lebanese Canadians who have criticized Mr. Harper's comments in support of Israel. Protesters have derided Mr. Harper as being nothing more than a carbon copy of U.S. President George W. Bush.

In one Ottawa protest, thousands of Lebanese supporters marched on Parliament Hill demanding the Canadian government call an end to the bombing in Lebanon. Some of the protesters carried Hezbollah flags, openly flaunting their support for the organization.

In another rally in Montreal, supporters of Hezbollah marched alongside opposition members of Parliament, including Liberal MP Denis Coderre and Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe.

The demonstrations sparked outrage from the president of B'nai Brith Canada last week, who demanded the federal government crack down on pro-Hezbollah demonstrations.

"The streets of Canada will not be taken over by radical Islamic forces supporting terrorist activities," said Frank Dimant.

"B'nai Brith Canada will do its utmost to ensure that Canadians will not be intimidated by these terrorist sympathizers."

This week's COMPAS poll shows that of those Canadians polled, the majority are on-side with B'nai Brith and have no tolerance for Hezbollah.

The organization is classified as a terrorist organization and its operation is banned in Canada. More than 69 per cent of respondents said that Canada should continue to classify Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, and of those supporting the terrorist label for Hezbollah, 72 per cent said supporting the organization from Canadian soil should be illegal.

The poll further shows that 69 per cent of Canadians believe that Iran has been arming Hezbollah and is wrong to do so. Another 68 per cent of those asked believe that Syria was wrong to disobey a United Nations resolution requiring Syria to keep guns out of Lebanon.

However, when it comes to Canadian involvement in the region, the COMPAS poll found that many Canadians are still wary about sending our troops into Lebanon.

Of those polled, 65 per cent said Canada should not send peacekeepers into Lebanon, or should only send peacekeepers into the area if Hezbollah is disarmed. Only 27 per cent of those polled said that Canadian peacekeepers should be sent to the region if Hezbollah is still armed.

According to the COMPAS poll, the only issue that Canadians are divided on is the question of who started the war. Thirty-eight per cent of those polled believed Hezbollah started the war. Thirty-five per cent disagreed that the war was started by Hezbollah.

The COMPAS poll was conducted in response to a Strategic Counsel poll which was conducted for CTV and the Globe and Mail. That poll said that 45 per cent of those asked disagreed with the prime minister's open support of Israel. According to the Strategic Counsel poll, only 32 per cent of Canadians agreed with the prime minister's comments that Israel has a right to defend itself.

� The Ottawa Citizen 2006