WINNIPEG – Premier Kinew, I write to you not out of partisanship, but out of deep concern, as a Manitoban, as a Jew, and as someone who believes in moral clarity and responsible leadership.
Your government’s plan to raise the Palestinian flag at the Manitoba Legislative Building on November 15 is profoundly misguided. While the intent may be to show solidarity with the Palestinian people, the symbolism and timing of this act cannot be separated from the violent history and divisive message it represents today.
November 15 is not a neutral date
On November 15, 1988, Yasser Arafat, the late head of the Palestine Liberation Organization, a man whose record is steeped in terrorism and decades of attacks against civilians, declared Palestinian “independence” in the midst of the First Intifada.
That uprising was marked not by diplomacy but by violence, lynchings, stabbings, firebombings, and brutal attacks on Israelis. For many Palestinians, November 15 remains a celebration of “armed struggle,” not peaceful coexistence.
To raise the Palestinian flag on that specific date is to invoke Arafat’s legacy, not the legacy of peace. It is a day rooted in rejectionism and bloodshed, not reconciliation.
If your government truly wishes to express solidarity with a people yearning for peace, it must do so in a way that distinguishes support for the Palestinian people from endorsement of the violent ideologies that continue to dominate their politics.
Last year, Israel’s flag was raised quietly, seemingly out of fear.
The contrast could not be starker.
When Manitoba last raised the Israeli flag, it was done quietly, in the middle of the night, without ceremony, announcement, or commitment.
Why? Because of fear, fear of how the “pro-Palestinian” mobs might react.
Now, a year later, your government plans to publicly raise the Palestinian flag with pride and fanfare, while Jewish Manitobans, who watched Israel’s flag raised in silence, are expected to stand by quietly.
This is not equality. It is not inclusion. It is appeasement, rewarding intimidation and fear while marginalizing a community that has faced unprecedented levels of antisemitism since October 7, 2023.
What does the Palestinian flag symbolize today?
Support for the Palestinian cause is often framed as support for justice and human rights. But recent polling from the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research paints a different picture:
• 77% of Palestinians oppose disarming Hamas.
• 41% believe armed struggle is the best way to achieve their goals.
• A significant portion still justify the October 7 massacre, the most brutal attack on Jews since the Holocaust.
These numbers are chilling. They show that, for many, the Palestinian flag today represents not peace or coexistence, but continued war against Israel and the Jewish people.
By raising that flag, Manitoba risks endorsing a movement that glorifies terror and rejects peace, and doing so on a date tied to Arafat’s militant declaration only deepens that association.
The impact on Manitoba’s Jewish community
Manitoba’s Jewish community is small but strong, and today, it is afraid.
Jewish families and students face unprecedented hostility. Synagogues and schools require increased security. The chants of “From the river to the sea” echo in our streets, calling for the eradication of the world’s only Jewish state.
At a time when antisemitic incidents are surging, a provincial flag-raising for Palestine will not be seen as inclusive. It will be perceived as a government-sponsored humiliation of Jewish Manitobans, coming just months after they watched the Israeli flag raised in silence and fear.
A better way forward
If the goal is genuine peace and inclusivity, there are better, braver options:
• Host a Manitoba Peace Forum, bringing together Jewish, Israeli, and Palestinian-Canadian voices to promote coexistence and reject extremism.
• Support Holocaust and antisemitism education alongside education about Middle East peacebuilding.
• Affirm Canada’s support for Israel’s right to exist and for a future Palestinian state that rejects terror and embraces democracy, not one that glorifies those who massacre civilians.
Such actions would send a message of compassion and courage, not capitulation.
Premier Kinew, choose courage over symbolism
The Manitoba Legislative Building stands as a symbol of unity and democracy. To turn it into a stage for divisive international politics, on a day tied to Yasser Arafat’s violent legacy, would be a profound mistake.
If the Israeli flag must be raised in secrecy while the Palestinian flag is raised in celebration, the message is unmistakable: intimidation works. That cannot be the moral posture of Manitoba.
I urge you to reconsider. Choose peace, prudence, and principle. Choose moral clarity over moral confusion.
Respectfully,
Ron East
Israeli Canadian Council (Manitoba)
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I fully concur with the statements set forth in this article. Wab Kinew and his government, by supporting the promotion and raising of the Palestinian flag on government property, is encouraging and supporting Palestine supporter agitation and threats. This leads to the further division and acrimony in MB (and Cdn) society. What’s in it for Kinew: a handful of votes? Shameful.