B.C. MPs, MLAs and city councillors voice support for Israel at Vancouver rally

Dozens of political leaders, from all levels of government, voiced support for Israel at a rally in Vancouver's Jack Poole Plaza on Tuesday.

The rally was organized by pro-Israel Jewish organizations, including the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, after the latest escalation in the war between Israel and Palestinian organization Hamas.

It came after a series of pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian rallies over Thanksgiving weekend, including a large pro-Palestinian protest at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

Leaders at the Tuesday event — which included MPs, MLAs and the city's mayor — said they stood with Israel and pledged support for the country.

Jewish speakers at the event condemned acts of brutality by Hamas, the Palestinian militant group whose surprise attack on Saturday sparked the latest escalation of hostilities.

In particular, speakers mourned the loss of Ben Mizrachi, a Vancouver man who was killed at a music festival in Israel on Saturday. The event started with former schoolmates of Mizrachi's sharing their love of the man, and also included a Holocaust survivor and representatives of other Jewish bodies.

"When we first heard the shocking news of the Hamas attacks, we knew that it was only a matter of time before each of us was personally connected to this tragedy," said Ezra Shanken, the president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, to a crowd of hundreds.

"We want to express our deep condolences to the Mizrachi family and to everyone here who's lost loved ones. May their memory of them and all those lost, may their memory be a blessing."

Other speakers at the rally included B.C. Post-Secondary Education Minister Selina Robinson and B.C. United Leader Kevin Falcon. MLAs and MPs from the Vancouver area, across all political stripes, were also in attendance.

Federal Emergency Management Minister Harjit Sajjan, who represents the Vancouver South riding, said that the Hamas surprise strike constituted a "brutal" terrorist attack on the Israeli people.

"One thing that gives me hope is that I look back and remember where I live in Canada," he said. "We come together, we support one another."

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim also showed up to the rally with councillors from his ABC Vancouver party, and reiterated his previous condemnation of alleged "anti-Israel" rallies in Vancouver.

"Vancouver is a city of love, city of peace, city of inclusion," he said, adding that the city would not stand for acts of anti-Semitism or acts of hatred.

While the rally saw significant attention being paid to the loss of hundreds of Israeli lives, Palestinian people in B.C. also say they are worried for their family members who live in the besieged Gaza Strip. Thousands of people have died since fighting escalated this weekend, according to authorities.