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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A Yellowknife woman has sent a letter to high-level politicians, voicing her fear that a group of local activists is stirring up anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic sentiment in the city.

Elisabeth Gelb's letter casts Focus on Palestine as a group that "consistently and conspicuously singles out Israel for condemnation."

Her correspondence was sent three weeks ago to recipients including the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce, Yellowknife City Council, every MLA in the territory, federal Immigration Minister Jason Kenney as well as local and national media.

Gelb wrote that the "singling out of Israel for condemnation negatively impacts the small Jewish community, and this affects all Northerners."

The organizer of Focus on Palestine, Shauna Morgan, saw the letter and told Yellowknifer she is aware of no anti-Semitic sentiment or activity raised through the group's activities, including: photo essays on Palestine; a presentation by Kevin Neish, a survivor of an aid flotilla to Gaza; and a presentation by former British MP George Galloway, an outspoken critic of Israeli foreign policy towards Gaza and the West Bank.

"We are completely against anti-Semitism and we oppose prejudice and discrimination in all its forms," Morgan said.

She said the topic of religion has nothing to do with the group's mandate, but instead Focus on Palestine opposes positions the Government of Canada has taken regarding the situation in the Middle East, which she said includes the withdrawal of support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees and voting against United Nations' resolutions to investigate human rights abuses in Israel-Palestine conflicts.

"Criticizing policies of the Israeli Government is not the same as anti-Semitism," Morgan added.

Gelb, meanwhile, declined to speak to Yellowknifer about her letter, except to cite Prime Minister Stephen Harper's expressions of support for Israel.

On Nov. 8, 2010, Harper addressed the Ottawa Conference on Combating Anti-Semitism, saying, "when Israel, the only country in the world whose very existence is under attack, is consistently and conspicuously singled out for condemnation, I believe we are morally obligated to take a stand."

Harper said he believes a new form of anti-Semitism is "perversely" using the language of human rights to target and unfairly criticize the Jewish homeland - though he added, "like any country, Israel may be subjected to fair criticism."

Morgan said this view has stifled debate on the conflict in the Middle East.

"People are afraid of talking about this - one reason is for fear of being labeled anti-Semitic," she said.

Morgan added Focus on Palestine aims to stimulate fair discussion about the conflict in the Middle East.

The region has been plagued by violence on both sides since Israel's creation in 1948, after the UN authorized a partition of Palestine to create a homeland for Holocaust survivors and Jewish people around the world - against the wishes of the Arabic inhabitants and surrounding countries - on land that bears religious and cultural significance to both Jewish and Arabic, particularly Islamic, peoples.

Morgan also said the group presents information from Jewish groups that have been critical of Israel's actions as well, including Independent Jewish Voices, and added Focus on Palestine welcomes people to their meetings bearing any perspective.

She added Gelb is also welcome to attend and present her view - and that they've met at previous Focus on Palestine meetings, though they didn't see eye-to-eye on many issues.

"We have welcomed a variety of perspectives," Morgan said.

Meanwhile, Gelb's letter prompted a response from Tim Doyle, executive director of the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce, and it was discussed at the chamber's July 12 meeting.

"We talked about it in great depth at our meeting," Doyle said, adding chamber members were concerned about the allegations that the Jewish community was feeling less welcome in Yellowknife - saying chamber members hadn't heard there was anti-Semitism here.

He said the chamber is not leaning one way or the other on the issue, especially because none of the chamber members involved in the discussion had attended a Focus on Palestine event. Doyle added he's "not even sure that this is something the chamber of commerce is equipped to deal with.

"This is a major charge that you're leveling against someone to say these kinds of things," he said.

Doyle added that for the chamber to take sides without fully understanding the situation puts it at risk of alienating other cultures and groups in the city.

"We're just hoping that, in our own community, we can encourage better fostering of relationships and better understanding of cultures," he said.

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