Canadian MP: Palestinians have a right to self-defence

Canadian member of parliament Sana Hassainia reiterated her condemnation of the Israeli massacres in Gaza, saying that condoning Israel’s actions against Palestinian civilians is “unfair.”

In an interview with Anadolu Agency on Friday, Hassainia, who recently resigned from her New Democratic Party over its stance on saGaza, criticised the censorship of any views sympathetic to the Palestinians in Canada and western countries.

“Those who defend the Palestinian cause are usually censored and accused of anti-Semitism and have all doors shut before them,” she said.

Hassainia, now an independent MP, stressed that Palestinians have a right to self-defence. “Many people accused me of being hostile to Jews because they consider advocating the Palestinian cause equivalent to denying the existence of Israelis,” she said. “But I am not against Jews. I understand Israel’s right to self-defence, but we should also acknowledge the same rights for Palestinians.”

She added that some have accused her of being a “terrorist” and a “Jihadist”, but she stressed that she does not support Hamas and believes that “it holds on to power without a legitimate basis.”

She lashed out at Canada’s unconditional support for Israel despite its rhetoric about human rights and justice.

Hassainia, 39, said she will continue her term in the parliament as an independent until the coming elections. She pointed out that the main reason for her resignation was the pro-Israel stance of her party’s leader, Thomas Mulcair, who denied Hassainia’s accusations, saying that he supports the two-state solution.