Canada to world: Lay off Israel!

Canada emerged as Israel's best new friend on the international stage at last week's G8 Summit in Deauville, France.

Playing off US President Barack Obama's recent foreign policy speeches, the G8 leaders were keen to use their closing statEment to demand that Israel retreat to its 1967 borders.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was having none of it.

According to reports from the summit, Harper blocked all efforts to include references to the 1967 borders in the closing statement. The statement that finally read did call for renewed Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, but put no pressure on Israel to accept dangerous pre-conditions.

Harper also blocked huge financial aid packages to Egypt, which in its current transition phase has been cozying up to Iran, Hamas and other regional Islamists.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman at the weekend phoned his Canadian counterpart to express his deep gratitude for Harper's efforts and for Canada's support at a time when Israel is feeling increasingly isolated.