Israeli President Reuven Rivlin met on Monday with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the Canadian capital of Ottawa.
Rivlin thanked Trudeau for fighting anti-Semitism and other forms of hatred, including the anti-Israel BDS movement, which the Canadian leader blasted in January.
“It’s not right to discriminate or to make someone feel unsafe on campus because of their religion, and unfortunately, the BDS movement is often linked to those kinds of frames,” he said.
Rivlin also mentioned the Canadian parliament’s decision to freeze its relations with Iran and to declare the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization.
“Iran is leading the establishment of a Shi’ite axis in Iran, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, and its actions are exacerbating Sunni-Shi’ite tensions. This could lead to regional escalation and threaten the whole world,” said the president, noting “the world cannot allow Iran to do this. The only way to halt Iran’s plans is by concerted international pressure and targeted military action whenever needed.”
Rivlin will be part of a crowd singing Matisyahu’s popular song “One Day” at a Tuesday event in Toronto hosted by the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto and Israel Bonds Canada, featuring the social-music initiative Koolulam.
