Haroon Siddiqui - Canada's Mideast conflict

Ripples from the Arab-Israeli conflict have always reached Canada. A war there usually meant a war of words here.

It was inevitable that the Israeli attack on Gaza would increase tensions between the Canadian supporters and critics of Israel.

This time, though, the debates seem nastier, and their impact wider on Canadian institutions and policies: universities, immigrant settlement programs, the issue of free speech vs. hate, etc.

As campuses gear up for Israel Apartheid Week starting tomorrow, there are fierce arguments over Israel's "right to defend itself" vs. its "war crimes," and also over what can or cannot be said on posters and T-shirts here. University officials are accused of muzzling speech or tolerating "intimidation."

Who's the greater culprit? That depends entirely on your view of the Middle East conflict.

Similarly, the solidly pro-Israeli stance of Stephen Harper and Michael Ignatieff has been applauded or condemned mostly on the basis of such polarized views. The two are either principled models of moral clarity, or they are "whores."