Today we look back on the events that unfolded in Palestine and the South West Asia and North Africa (SWANA) region over the past two years: the genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza, the expansion of Israeli settlements over land in the West Bank, the invasions of Syria and Lebanon, and the unrelenting aggression aimed at nearly every country in the region. None of this could have been accomplished without the support—and in the best interest—of the entirety of the West with settler-colonial states like the US and Canada at the helm. Limitless support has been offered by countries like Canada to the Zionist entity called “Israel” in the form of money, material, weapons, etc. Other instrumental—but less discussed—forms of support are those aiming to legitimize “Israel’s” existence as a “law-abiding” state on the world scene. One such event is the Davis Cup tennis matches between Canada and “Israel” planned for this month.
On September 12th and 13th, 2025, Halifax will be the site of the Davis Cup tennis matches hosting the “Israeli” team—not simply a group of civilian players who just want to play tennis but key agents in the Zionist settler-colonial project. This sports team is a smoke screen meant to prop up the legitimacy of a state and military currently conducting a genocide against Palestinians. Additionally, these players are past and present soldiers and have most likely been active participants in the genocide.
To add insult to injury, HRM Council earmarked $50,000 of public funds to support these games under the guise of strengthening the local economy for businesses and property owners. While many have expressed outrage, the government’s response has been to ignore and even suppress these voices. At a recent town hall, Mayor Andy Fillmore refused to answer questions regarding this use of public funds, shut down the meeting, called in the RCMP, and abruptly left. These funds were later withdrawn in an important win for local organizing after Tennis Canada felt pressured to prohibit spectators from attending.
Why are governments afraid to answer for their actions? What use does “Israel” see in promoting themselves during these games? What role does Canada play in light of all this?
This year marks the 32nd anniversary of the Oslo Accords’ promise of a Palestinian state on merely 22% of Palestine’s land. An important aspect of this agreement that often goes unnoticed is the fact that it gave “Israel” the global legitimacy it craved. Now with recognition from most countries, it gained access to many new markets across the world, empowering its economy and geopolitical weight. Like any settler-colonial project, “Israel” uses events like the Davis Cup to legitimize and normalize its existence as well as its colonization and domination of the Palestinian people and the land of Palestine itself. Settler-colonies are nation-building projects, forged in genocide and bloodshed for the purpose of capital accumulation. “Israel’s” goal is the destruction of Palestine and its people until the only people left are colonizers on Palestinian land. Funding, promoting, and participating in these events supports the state of “Israel”, its genocidal transition, and distracts people from the truth of the matter. The state of “Israel” certainly uses its lobby to request funding for and the promotion of its legitimacy. But what role does Canada play, and what does it gain?
First, as a settler-colony like “Israel”, Canada sees it as a fellow brother-in-arms, and even an extension of Canada, supporting it along with many other imperialist and colonial states both past and present—despite the Canadian state’s rhetoric. For example, Canada’s so-called “resistance” to South African apartheid was counter-balanced with frequent visits by South African occupation officials seeking to learn from Canada’s colonial reserve system.
Second, Canada’s return on investment is multi-faceted. The most obvious is the benefit of having a friendly military outpost to exert its will on the SWANA region and its resources. Less obvious is “Israel’s” military industrial complex serving Western capital.
Advanced weaponry, surveillance equipment, and tactics of suppression are developed on the land of Palestine and tested on its people. When these advances are proven effective tools, they return to the investors: Western imperialist states like Canada. Israeli technology comes home to rest in the hands of the Canadian state. Israeli soldiers and police train Canadian soldiers and police—sometimes through a US proxy—in the same tactics used to terrorize and dominate Palestinians.
“Israel” needs Canada to legitimize its actions and existence, but Canada—as an imperialist state—also needs “Israel” as a violent terroristic state wreaking havoc on the SWANA region while dutifully providing Canada with the spoils of its efforts. To quote US President Biden: “if there were not an ‘Israel’, we’d have to invent one”.
It should be no surprise then that the Canadian state has lied about halting its weapons shipments to “Israel”, instead hiding them in civilian planes under the feet of unsuspecting passengers. It should be no surprise that even though the Davis Cup banned Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, it continues to accept “Israel” despite the occupation and genocide in Palestine. It should be no surprise that in the same session HRM Council voted to give the Davis Cup $50,000 of funds, it voted to reject funding an event dedicated to the survivors of Canada’s brutal residential schools.
Collaboratively written by Clean House For Palestine (CHFP) &
Atlantic Regional Communists (ARC)