PM Stephen Harper leaves for first trip to Middle East

J-DILLA · Jan 19, 2014

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/stephen-harper-leaves-today-for-trip-to-middle-east-1.2501873

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and a sizable entourage leave Saturday for the Middle East on a six-day trip that will include a visit to Israel, the West Bank and Jordan.
Harper will address Israel's parliament, the Knesset, on Monday, making history as the first Canadian prime minister to do so. It will be the prime minister's first visit to Israel since winning power in 2006.
Spokesman Jason MacDonald says Harper will promote commercial relations, as well as peace and security in the region, when he meets Israeli leaders and, later in the week, the King of Jordan.
Harper is a passionate supporter of Israel and is expected to receive a glowing reception from Israeli leaders.
The prime minister has lots of company on his flight over - he's taking six cabinet ministers and at least 30 business people and community leaders who will take part in business meetings and cultural events during the trip.
MacDonald says air travel and some accommodation costs will be paid out of government coffers, although full details of the final tally are not yet available.
Media organizations travelling with the prime minister are paying $8,000 a head, a pricetag that includes ground transport and access to communication facilities.
During his eight years in power, Harper has shifted his government's Middle East policy decidedly in favour of the Jewish state, marking what has been widely viewed as a departure from Canada's so-called honest broker position in the troubled region.
In the summer of the 2006, while Israeli warplanes were pounding Lebanon after Hezbollah militants kidnapped two Israeli soldiers, Harper characterized the response as "measured."
That comment angered Canadians of Arab and Muslim descent, and was widely viewed by analysts as marking a significant shift away from Canada's traditional role in the Middle East.
Since then, Conservative support has manifested itself in myriad ways, including Canada's vocal opposition against the Palestinian bid for statehood recognition at the United Nations. Canada was one of only nine countries to vote against the Palestinian efforts.
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MrCrispy109 · Jan 19, 2014

This is an embarrassment. We should remain neutral like the past not fall into a camp like another sycophant.

forty winks · Jan 19, 2014

MrCrispy109 said:

This is an embarrassment. We should remain neutral like the past not fall into a camp like another sycophant.
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plus 1

J-DILLA · Jan 19, 2014

How is this a bad thing? The main point of the trip is to establish more economic ties with Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority.

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