By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban
Honest Reporting Canada, which monitors Canadian media for anti-Israel bias, has condemned Lama Aggad for accusing Hampstead Mayor Jeremy Levi of dual loyalty.
Aggad, according to her own website, is a “media producer and television presenter of Lama TV, a weekly Canadian/Arabic talk show in Toronto on Omni Television.” Aggad states that she is in favour of freedom of expression, and claims she is “systematically targeted by the radical Zionist lobby in Canada for my defence of the just cause.”
Levi, an outspoken supporter of Israel on social media, had posted on June 22, “PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH. That is the only way in the Middle East. Diplomacy never works with terrorists. The sad part is, you already know that.”
That post was in response to Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand’s posting, amidst the Israel-Iran conflict, that while “Canada has been consistent and clear that Iran must not possess nuclear weapons as they are a threat to international security,” the country “continues to support all efforts aimed at de-escalation, protecting civilian lives, and restoring stability through diplomacy. We urge parties to return to the negotiating table and reach a resolution to this crisis.”
Aggad responded to Levi’s statement by posting, “impeach Jeremy Levi from his mayoral position immediately and ensure he is deported to Israel without delay! His allegiance is clearly not to Canada, and is actively supporting the escalation towards World War III. Yalla barra wala.”
HRC responded that it is outrageous for Aggad, “previously accused of engaging in antisemitism, to accuse Hampstead Mayor Jeremy Levi of having dual loyalties, Israel over Canada. Accusing Jews in the diaspora of being untrustworthy and disloyal to their home countries and therefore more loyal to fellow Jews and the State of Israel, is a classic antisemitic trope according to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism. This antisemitic trope – which has existed since time immemorial – is used to vilify and scapegoat Jews.”
HRC added that Liberal MP Anthony Housefather and former Liberal MP Michael Levitt had years before been accused of dual loyalty, “and Canadian politicians of all stripes rallied to their support.
“Antisemitic canards have absolutely no place in Canadian political discourse. Canadian politicians should stand in solidarity with Mayor Levi to condemn this hateful slur.”
On June 24, Aggad commented about former New York governor and losing New York mayoralty candidate Andrew Cuomo by posting, “hey former Mayor Cuomo (Andrew Cuomo was never NYC Mayor), now that you’re free, feel free to head to Israel. You are better off there.”
She added that Zohran Mamdani, who won the NYC Democrat mayoral primary, “will step up for New Yorkers including Jewish New Yorkers who are fully New Yorkers, not Israelis. This is a distinction you’ve struggled to grasp. Remember, you WERE the mayor of New York, not Tel Aviv. (Again, Cuomo was never Mayor of New York), and Jeremy Levi needs to take note because we’ll ensure he’s out in the next elections, just like you were.” n