LIBERAL MP blames Canadian synagogue vandalism on Israel’s “atrocities in Gaza”

When a member of a Fredericton synagogue that had been vandalized wrote to local Liberal MP Jenica Atwin to admonish her for not speaking out about it, she responded weeks later with a long letter about “the atrocities by Israel” and how dedicated she was to “helping Palestinians/Hamas.”

National Post  (h/t Georgina P) “Fredericton’s synagogue was vandalized today.. on holocaust remembrance day!! And you couldn’t be bothered to make a statement. Shame on you,” wrote the constituent on January 27th, the day the Sgoolai Israel Synagogue in Fredericton had been vandalized. In the subject line of the email, the constituent wrote . “I guess you and Justin only represent certain Canadians.” National Post has seen the email exchange and has confirmed its authenticity.

Atwin’s reply came more than a month later, on March 4, and was a 1,500-word email that called for controls on exports to Israel to ensure against “Canadian materials being indirectly used in the slaughter of innocent people.” and for restoring funding to the United Nations Refugee and Works Agency (UNRWA), which has been implicated in terrorism against Israel.

Atwin claims her office has received “upwards of 10,000 emails, phone calls and direct messages” from Canadians supporting Palestinians, not Israelis. “The Government of Canada must do more to end the siege, protect human life and uphold international law,” the MP in the Liberal government wrote.

On Friday, Canada announced it would “resume” funding to UNRWA after pausing it following evidence presented by Israel that its employees participated the Oct. 7 terror attacks where Hamas terrorists conducted a campaign of murder, rape and kidnapping against Israeli civilians.

Atwin is known for taking positions considered to be hostile to Israel. Shortly before crossing the floor from the Green Party to the Liberals in 2021, Atwin challenged then Green Party leader Annamie Paul’s calls for de-escalation in the Middle East, insisting there was no “two sides” in the conflict but “only human right abuses” by Israel, and referred to Israel as an apartheid state.

Atwin’s letter also speaks of “tough conversations” she’s had with colleagues within the Liberal government, her personal appeals to both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly on Gaza, and her support of a pending NDP motion recognizing Palestinian statehood.

Deputy Conservative leader Melissa Lantsman told the National Post that the emailed letter doesn’t surprise her, considering Atwin’s past comments on Israel. “What was surprising is that Justin Trudeau actively recruited her to cross the floor to his party,” she said. “Trudeau’s … blatant refusal to acknowledge the very real concerns of Jewish Canadians is a pattern that we are seeing more and more of from him and the Liberals.”