Canadian security forum honours 'the people of Israel'

A Canadian security forum on Saturday presented an award to the people of Israel for 75 years of democracy, following the Hamas incursion into the country that left some 1,200 people dead and 240 abducted.

The Halifax International Security Forum presents the award annually in honour of US Senator John McCain, who died in 2018, to “individuals from any country who have demonstrated uncommon leadership in the pursuit of human justice.” The forum attracts military officials, United States senators, diplomats and scholars.

“On the 75th anniversary of Israel's creation, and in the aftermath of the October 7 attack that resulted in the greatest loss of life to the Jewish people since the Holocaust, it is fitting to present an award that bears Senator McCain's name to: The People of Israel,” the statement read.

McCain was a regular at the forum and his wife, Cindy, was present this year and sat in the front row. Peter Van Praagh, president of the Halifax International Security Forum, presented the award to Lital Leshem, a representative of Brothers in Arms. The group started as a protest movement of military veterans who opposed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's judicial overhaul, but transformed itself into the largest nongovernmental aid agency in Israel to help those affected by the latest Israel-Hamas war. It now organizes volunteer activities to assist victims and families who were evacuated from border communities. It provides counseling and transportation and arranges volunteers to work on farms where the former workers either fled or were killed or kidnapped.

Leshem said she was honoured to accept the award on behalf of the people of Israel.