deeply disappointing

From the beginning,  I told myself that this blog would be about day to day life and sometimes work and I would steer away from the big geo-politics in this fraught region.  But rules are made to be broken, so this week I am going to venture into the political realm to express my dissatisfaction with the Canadian government regarding its position on the Israeli military offensive (in international waters!) against the flotilla traveling to Gaza.

I compare this:

"Canada stood alone before a United Nations human rights council yesterday, the only one among 47 nations to oppose a motion condemning the Israeli military offensive in Gaza." (The Toronto Star)...

to this:

"U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the violence. The European Union's foreign affairs chief, Catherine Ashton, said the bloc was deeply concerned and she called on Israel to carry out an inquiry. British Foreign Secretary William Hague deplored the killings and called for an end to the Gaza blockade. Greece, Egypt, Sweden, Spain and Denmark summoned Israel's ambassadors demanding explanations for the violence, with Spain and France condemning what they called the disproportionate use of force. Greece suspended a military exercise with Israel and postponed a visit by Israel's air force chief. Germany called for an immediate investigation but was careful not to directly place blame, and said it was seeking information on six German citizens believed to have been aboard the ships.
(Associated Press)... 

...and I am dismayed. The EU cannot be called radical. The UN Secretary General is not an off-the-cuff individual. Countries like Sweden, France, Denmark, the United Kingdom are all credible. And all of these (and many more!) have expressed measured, critical responses to this event.

So, I wonder: Why not Canada? When did we lose all proportion on this issue? How did we find ourselves in this situation? It is just plain bad... not to mention embarrassing!

So ... there you go. Unfortunately, this international incident means you will have to wait until next week for the post I am going to write about the wee, partially blind, feral (but very tame) cat who has moved out of the mean streets of Jebel Amman and into my apartment. And the excellent team at "The Humane Center for Animal Welfare" - a lovely group of people working here in Amman - who have treated all her ailments.

In the meantime, here's a picture of Smudgie aka Habibti aka The Smudge to pique your interest: