The Poisoned Fruit of October 7: Canada’s Shameful Choice

On the eve of the Jewish New Year — a sacred time of renewal, reflection, and hope — Canada chose betrayal. With one reckless act, my government abandoned its moral compass and embraced terror by recognizing a so-called Palestinian state. This was not diplomacy. This was surrender.

Even Hamas’s own Ghazi Hamad boasted: “The initiative by several countries to recognize a Palestinian state is one of the fruits of October 7.” Canada, once a beacon of principle, has now delivered that poisoned fruit directly into the blood-stained hands of murderers.

Instead of standing with Israel, the eternal homeland of the Jewish people and the only democracy in the Middle East, Canada now legitimizes those who slaughtered Jews in their homes, on their kibbutzim, and at a music festival. Mark Carney may claim leadership, but he does not speak for me. He is not my Prime Minister. This is not my government. This is not my Canada.

A Forgotten History: Palestinians and the Fall of Iran

Canadians must remember — or learn for the first time — that Palestinian groups have long exported terror far beyond Israel. Before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the PLO trained Iranian communist groups and radical Islamists, including the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), in Lebanon and other PLO camps. Palestinians themselves entered Iran disguised in Imperial Army uniforms, massacring hundreds of innocent Iranians in Djaleh Square during the Black Friday protests of September 1978. These acts helped pave the way for Rouhollah Khomeini’s rise to power.

Soon after Khomeini seized Iran, Yasser (Yasir) Arafat came to Tehran to collect his share for assisting Khomeini and his Islamic Republic’s invasion of Iran. I vividly remember Arafat’s arrival on 17, February 1979 just days after Khomeini’s return to Tehran from France. Arafat came to congratulate the new Islamic Republic leadership, express solidarity with the Islamic coup, and seek support for “Palestinian cause”. As a teenager, these moments etched into my memory. That was the year I lost my Iran. Today, I watch as my Canada, too, betrays its principles. We are living in a dark era.

Canada’s Shame

Canada’s Moral Compass

Canada once had moral clarity. PM Stephen Harper was a rare leader who understood that appeasing terrorists does not buy peace — it fuels more terror. He stood with Israel without hesitation, defending truth, principle, and decency when it mattered most. Today’s Canada, by contrast, pretends this recognition is about “justice” or “peace,” but there is no justice in rewarding killers. There is no peace in empowering those who glorify October 7 as a triumph.

The Cost of Betrayal

Israel is not perfect — no democracy is — but it is the only true democracy in the Middle East, the only safe haven for Jews in a world still plagued by antisemitism. By contrast, a Palestinian state under Hamas would be another terror enclave, armed and funded by Iran, committed to the annihilation of Jews and the destruction of the West.

Recognition of Palestine is not a step toward peace — it is the legitimization of jihad. Canada has shamefully become the hand that plucked that poisoned fruit and delivered it to the killers.

This Is Not My Canada

The Canada I believed in does not bow to murderers. The Canada I knew does not abandon its friends in their darkest hour. The Canada I honored does not reward terrorists with the prize they failed to win on the battlefield.

But today, on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, that Canada is gone.

This is not my government.
This is not my Prime Minister.
This is not my Canada.

History will not forgive such cowardice. And neither will I.

Shabnam Assadollahi is an award-winning Canadian human rights advocate and freelance writer/journalist of Iranian origin. She has a Master’s degree in Social Anthropology and has worked extensively helping newcomers and refugees resettle in Canada and has distinguished herself as a broadcaster, writer and public speaker. Shabnam was arrested and imprisoned at age 16 for eighteen months in Iran’s most notorious prison, Evin. Shabnam’s primary and heartfelt interest is to focus on the Iranian community and world events affecting women and minority communities.