It is their obligation to protect their students from discrimination.

We certainly have seen how vicious these radicals can be when they defend Hamas’s actions. Decolonization studies have been used to defend the rape of women and extrajudicial slaughter of innocent people.

Not to be outdone, last week a York University professor of international criminal law, Heidi Matthews, took to Twitter to excuse Hamas’s rape, murder and hostage-taking as part of a so-called right of resistance. Her comments defending Hamas’s actions were rightly condemned as vile and disgusting.

To many of these so-called progressive thinkers, Israel is the aggressor; Israel is in the wrong. They are wrong and badly wrong. Let me explain why.

Hamas has committed war crimes, gross and grave breaches of the Geneva Convention—murdering, raping, and taking hostages. Furthermore, Hamas has zero willingness to apply the laws of war to its military units. Hamas acts lawlessly because it does not feel bound by law.

Israel is nothing like that. It is a liberal democracy bound by the rule of law. It has always shown restraint, humility and a dedication to the rule of law. It has remained a beacon of hope and a light in the darkness of tyranny.

As for what is happening in Gaza itself, it is clear that the only way for Israel to exercise its right to self-defence as well as try to rescue its own hostages is to eliminate Hamas from Gaza. Hamas treats Palestinian civilians like human shields to protect its fighters in a conflict zone, which itself is a war crime.

By contrast, Israel has told Palestinian civilians in Gaza to move south, closer to the border with Egypt. Israel, in fact, delayed its own ground invasion of Gaza to give civilians more time to leave the future conflict zone. These are the actions of a country that is doing everything it can to minimize civilian casualties.

While Israel has many fair-weather friends who will abandon her the moment it becomes convenient to do so—this is my fear, as I have seen it time and time again—I know standing here today that this government stands with Israel, with people of Jewish faith and all those who know evil when they see it. The nation of Israel and the Jewish people around the world—it has friends, and I stand with them now.

I look around and I see the member from Eglinton–Lawrence, who has never wavered in her commitment to helping the Jewish people in her riding; the Minister of Education, who is steadfast in his support for rooting out hatred in our education system and who codified Holocaust education in our curriculum—and today we have a Holocaust survivor with us, who was there the day we made the Holocaust education announcement, Nate Leipciger.

Applause.

Speaker, I now want to turn to a prayer from Rabbi Kaufman that I think is very appropriate, which she read this past Saturday at Am Shalom, our synagogue in Barrie. It reads:

“We are in mourning—for the innocent lives lost.

“We are in mourning—for the Israel reality that is now forever changed.

“We are in mourning—for the dreams of yesterday.

“But—we are lifted up by hope, the hope expressed in Hatikvah, Israel’s national anthem.

“We are lifted up by hope—for the healing of the wounded and the return of the captives to their homes.

“We are lifted up by hope—the hope demonstrated in the amazing resilience of the” Jewish people; and

“We are lifted up by hope—of a future without war.”

Mr. Speaker, I stand with Israel. As was sung following the Six-Day War, Am Yisrael Chai. As was sung following the Yom Kippur War, Am Yisrael Chai. As is to be sung in the coming days, and for all days, Am Yisrael Chai.

The people of Israel live, and Ontario will always stand with them and those of the Jewish faith.

Thank you. Todah rabah.

I thank my colleague for the follow-up. Mr. Speaker, our government believes that no student should go to school hungry. That’s why we’ve partnered with organizations—including the Arrell Family Foundation, the Breakfast Club of Canada, the Schad Foundation, and the Grocery Foundation—to improve these programs. The $1.67 million already raised by partners, alongside our government’s $5-million investment, shows how public and private entities can come together to make a meaningful impact on the lives of Ontario students. I’m grateful for the generous support, and I encourage all Ontarians to get involved and support the success of our students. Together, we can provide a strong foundation for their academic achievement and overall well-being in the province—because, again, they’re 100% of our future, and we need to continue to invest in them.