Moshe Feiglin in Toronto
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Posted by Globe and Mail on 08:14:57 2008/03/23
JEWISH VISITOR
Israeli activist invited to speak after British ban
MICHAEL VALPY
March 22, 2008
An Israeli political activist banned from entering Britain on the grounds his views could foment violence is scheduled to meet with three groups in Toronto next Thursday, including Jewish students on an undisclosed university campus.
Moshe Feiglin is a West Bank settler who heads a faction of the right-wing Likud party. He advocates harsh military action against Palestinians, pulling Israel out of the United Nations and encouraging non-Jews in Israel to emigrate.
He is being brought to Canada by the Jewish Defence League.
On his itinerary are a meeting with Jewish students, a dinner at Shaarei Tefillah Synagogue in North York and an unspecified community address later in the evening.
Although Mr. Feiglin had no plans to visit Britain, a British government official said this month that his presence in the country "would not be conducive to the public good" and he therefore would not be allowed to enter.
Shimon Fogel, executive director of the Canada-Israel Committee, which represents the organized Jewish community on issues of Canadian-Israeli relations, said yesterday he has no problem with Mr. Feiglin visiting Canada and was disturbed by the news that he had been barred from Britain.
"He participates in the Israeli democratic process and he's part of a legitimate political party," Mr. Fogel said.
"I have a lot of confidence in Israel's ability to vet the propriety of those who participate in the political process there."
Indeed, Mr. Feiglin at one point was sentenced in Israel to community service for sedition after spearheading a civil disobedience protest against the 1993 Oslo accords that created the Palestinian Authority and established a framework for relations between Israel and the Palestinians.
He presented a strong but ultimately unsuccessful challenge to former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in last year's race for the Likud leadership.
Mr. Fogel rejected the notion that Mr. Feiglin's presence in Canada could stimulate hostility toward Israel.
The people who will be publicly hostile to Mr. Feiglin's presence would be hostile to just about any Israeli public figure, he said.
Mr. Fogel said so long as Mr. Feiglin "comports himself in an appropriate way" in Canada there are no grounds for concern about his presence.
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