Canadian terror attack in Israel ‘wake up call’ over extremism

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The terrorist attack by a Canadian man attempting to stab guards outside of a town in southern Israel is being called a “wake-up call” over growing antisemitic extremism in Canada, and a warning sign of what happens when it is left unchecked.

Israeli troops shot the man dead before he could cause any injuries.

Israeli media reports published Monday, as well as photos of the dead man’s passport, identified the attacker as Zachariah Adam Quraishi, a Canadian citizen who Israeli media is reporting arrived in the country on Sunday on a tourist visa.

Reports suggest the attacker shouted “free Palestine” as he ran towards security personnel at Netiv Ha’asara with a kitchen knife.

Video of the attack released by the Israel Defense Forces show armed guards patrolling the community’s fortified front gate as Quraishi charges them before the guards shoot him dead.

Photos of the scene show that Quraishi arrived at the scene driving a white Hyundai rental car.

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Netiv Ha’asara is a moshav — a communal agricultural community — located in the Negev desert about 60 kilometres south of Tel Aviv, abutting Gaza’s northern border.

Around 20 Netiv Ha’asara residents were killed during the October 7 attacks, which saw Hamas terrorists conduct a campaign of arson, murder and sexual assault on Israeli communities near Gaza.

Over 250 people from communities in Israel were also abducted from their homes by Hamas.

Iddo Moed, Israel’s ambassador to Canada, said that growing anti-Israel extremism, particularly online, should serve as a wake-up call to Canadians.

“It’s dangerous for Israel, and it may also be dangerous for Canada,” he said.

“It’s a wake-up call for the international communities that something is happening here. Within the international context, it’s dangerous.”

Canada became a hot spot of antisemitic incidents following the Oct. 7 attacks, with anti-Israel protestors regularly holding demonstrations and rallies in Jewish neighbourhoods around Toronto. Synagogues were vandalized, Jewish businesses have been attacked, and gunshots were fired at Jewish schools.

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Anti-Israel protests also took root at university campuses across Canada, with hateful and antisemitic messages a common feature at many encampments.

A statement from Global Affairs Canada acknowledged it is aware of an “incident involving a Canadian citizen in Israel,” but declined to offer any more information due to privacy concerns.

Canadian-born Knesset member Sharren Haskel said the news that a Canadian citizen conducted a terror attack in Israel shouldn’t be surprising.

“The spread of radical Islam and extremist ideologies in Canada has created major cultural challenges for the country, including a plague of antisemitism that has spread, making it unsafe for Jews and Canadians to live their day-to-day lives without the fear of being attacked verbally and physically,” she told the National Post.

“With the lack of law enforcement and a turning a blind eye to the rise of hatred and violence by radical Muslims, Canada has become a hotbed for terrorists who are operating within and outside of Canada.”

David Cooper, vice president of government relations for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) said Monday’s attack is an example of what happens when governments and officials let hate run unchecked.

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“While we are relieved that no innocent lives were lost in this attack, we are deeply shocked that a Canadian citizen would travel to Israel and retraumatize the Netiv Ha’asara community already devastated by the 20 lives stolen in Hamas’ murderous rampage on October 7,” he said.

“This incident highlights the potential consequences of pervasive misinformation and disinformation surrounding Israel’s conflict with Hamas — where Israel is demonized and held solely responsible, and where Hamas has been absolved of responsibility for the impact on Palestinian civilians of the war they started.”

Cooper said CIJA had consistently expressed concerns over the escalating violence and rhetoric commonplace at anti-Israel protests in Canada.

“When demonstrations glorify terrorists as martyrs and call for global intifada without condemnation from our political leaders, it sets the stage for tragedies like today’s attack in the Israeli town of Netiv Ha’asara.”

Casey Babb, senior fellow with the Macdonald Laurier Institute and adviser to the anti-terrorism group, Secure Canada, drew parallels between this incident and the scores of Canadians who fled to join ISIS.

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“Canada has a history of having foreign fighters — Canadian citizens go off to distant lands in the Middle East and commit egregious acts of violence,” he told the National Post.

“We were a country that garnered, and rightfully so, international attention during allied operations to counter ISIS, because of how many Canadians have gone off to join the caliphate.”

Babb said this almost certainly won’t be the last time something like this happens.

“You have people calling for the erasure of the only Jewish state standing in front of crowds of thousands calling for the death of Zionists — which is just a code word for Jews, you have decapitated mannequin heads of Bibi Netanyahu being kicked around like soccer balls in Toronto, you have synagogues being burned, you have Jewish day schools being shot at,” he said.

“When the overwhelming majority of this goes on without any repercussions, you allow these ideas to take root and become normalized.”

Despite the horrors of Oct. 7 and the scores of deadly terror attacks, rocket and drone strikes since, Israelis remain hopeful for the future, Moed said.

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“The most important and prevalent feeling you’ll encounter among any Israeli is that we want to have our hostages back,” he said.

“Everybody is looking for this situation to end. Israel wants peace. Israel wants to live in peace with its neighbours.”

National Post

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