“We have seen increasing police aggression and baseless arrests and prosecutions against those protesting Israel’s genocide.”
The Abraham Global Peace Initiative (AGPI), a pro-Israel charity, held its Crystal Ball fundraiser this spring at Casa Loma in Toronto with guest speaker Gilad Erdan, Israel’s former ambassador to the United Nations (UN).
A protest was held outside, where demonstrators called Erdan out for attacking critics of Israel at the UN while the Israeli military killed tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza.
AGPI was founded in 2021 with a stated mission to “counter Antisemitism; combat Holocaust denial; advance The Abraham Accords, defend Israel, Canada and their allies; and advance freedom, democracy and universal human rights.”
Following the Hamas-led attacks of Oct. 7, 2023 and the launch of Israel’s war on Gaza, AGPI set up a project called J-Force. The tagline for the project is “For Defenders of Israel” and a set of talking points titled “What should you say?” was published for supporters.
The talking points include: “Hamas is responsible for everything that will happen in Gaza in the coming days, not Israel,” and “We condemn pro-Palestinian demonstrations around the world celebrating the murder of innocents and promoting Antisemitism.”
AGPI founder and CEO Avi Abraham Benlolo, a regular National Post columnist, said when the charity was launched that one of the features that makes AGPI different from other pro-Israel groups is the involvement of many non-Jewish people.
In an interview with The Canadian Jewish News, he cited federal cabinet member Bill Blair, former ministers Peter MacKay and Stockwell Day, former Ontario lieutenant governor David Onley, and former CEO of the Bank of Montreal Tony Comper as examples.
Also involved in AGPI are several prominent figures from police forces and policing organizations across Canada, a fact that has raised concerns among some critics. (more...)
Police Involvement With Pro-Israel Charity Raises Concerns
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