Libby Davies Under Fire for Israel Comments

The Canadian New Democratic Party deputy leader Libby Davies is facing controversy due to comments she made about the state of Israel:

The remarks, made in Vancouver and captured in this video video, which is circulating rapidly on the Internet, have provoked an angry backlash among members of the NDP caucus, including Leader Jack Layton — who quickly distanced himself from Ms. Davies. “I have spoken to the [Israeli] ambassador [to Canada], to indicate very clearly that those comments were not the position of our party and Ms. Davies has sent a letter indicating that she made a very serious mistake,” Mr. Layton said. “I told her it was a serious mistake.”

The video shows Ms. Davies answering a series of questions about the situation in the Middle East, starting with comments suggesting that Israel has been occupying territories since 1948, which is the year of its independence.

“[The occupation started in] ‘48. It’s the longest occupation in the world,” she said in the video. “People are suffering. I’ve been to the West Bank and Gaza twice, so I see what’s going on.”