Palestinians throw eggs at Canadian FM, escalating diplomatic spat

Monday, 19 January 2015 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Reuters: Palestinian protesters heckled and threw eggs at Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird during his visit to the occupied West Bank on Sunday, lashing out at Ottawa’s diplomatic support for Israel. Baird was not hit, but one of the eggs smacked onto the roof of a grey Toyota land cruiser just as he was entering the vehicle after a meeting with his Palestinian counterpart at the Foreign Ministry in Ramallah. Several dozen Palestinian special forces armed with machine guns and riot gear made no effort to confront the egg-throwers among a crowd of about 100 protesters.

“You’re not welcome,” the demonstrators shouted at Baird. Canada was among a handful of countries that voted against Palestinians’ successful bid to become a non-member state at the United Nations General Assembly in 2012. This month, Baird called a Palestinian move to join the International Criminal Court “concerning and dangerous”. Amid bouts of failed peace talks with Israel, Palestinians have opted to confront Israel in international bodies and the conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper has become one of the most outspoken critics of the strategy. Speaking before the Israeli parliament last January, Harper said any comparison between Israel and apartheid South Africa was “sickening” and “the face of the new anti-Semitism.” In a statement on Sunday, top Palestinian peace negotiator Saeb Erekat demanded an apology from Baird for visiting Israeli officials in occupied East Jerusalem last year.