Stephen Harper's anti-Palestine stand isolates Canada

Interesting article in the Globe and Mail today. Buried on page A11 (!) this shocking message;

Canadian officials yesterday confirmed they would not meet any member of the new government, taking a harder line than the White House.

Really?

Yes, really!

Canada risks isolation in the Arab world if it does not rescind its ban on meeting with members of the new coalition Palestinian government as the United States, United Nations and much of Europe have done, Palestinian Authority leaders caution.

The warning comes after Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay and Prime Minister Stephen Harper both snubbed Mustafa Barghouti, the moderate new Palestinian Information Minister, who was in Ottawa this week.

And then the lie by MacKay:

"Until such time as we see progress in the area of the Quartet principles, which call for the recognition of Israel, which call for the cessation of violence, which call for the road map to be adhered to, we are not going to deal directly with a terrorist organization, namely Hamas," he said.

As the Globe and Mail points out, "Mr. Barghouti, a one-time presidential candidate seen as a moderate, with no links to the Islamist Hamas party, [...]"

, and the PM's consistency is far from consistent; they DID meet with Mr. Barghouti before:

[...] Mr. Barghouti has met with Canadian officials in the past, including the Prime Minister's special envoy to the Middle East, Wajid Khan.

I guess policies are only to be followed when convenient.

And then this:

This trip, [Mr. Barghouti] said, was planned before the unity government was formed, but he decided to proceed as a "golden opportunity" to boost relations with Canada.

Instead, the chilly greeting has left Palestinian officials fuming.

Well, Mr. Bargouti doesn't seem to understand the political climate in Canada. Conservatives are pro-Israeli fundamentalists, and most of those tend to be somewhat anti-Palestinian. When it comes to the treatment of the Palestinian people, there's nothing new about our so-called "new" Canadian government; just a bit more backwards, that's all.

The Palestinian Authority leaders caution Stephen Harper's conservative Government:

Canada risks isolation in the Arab world if it does not rescind its ban on meeting with members of the new coalition Palestinian government as the United States, United Nations and much of Europe have done [...]

Globe and Mail article
See also this article.