‘Crappy piece of land’: Canada’s provincial minister resigns over Palestine comments

A senior government minister in the Canadian province of British Columbia resigned on Monday after facing backlash for her controversial remarks on Palestine and the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

Selina Robinson, minister of post-secondary education in the British Columbia province, has been under fire for comments she made during an online discussion last month, where she said Israel was founded on “a crappy piece of land with nothing on it.”

Her resignation came after a mounting backlash by several Palestinian groups and a petition for her removal from the cabinet garnered nearly 11,000 signatures.

Robinson later apologised for her comment with a promise to undergo anti-islamophobia training. The former minister said that her “flippant comment” diminished the relations that Palestinians share with their land.

“I want to apologise for my disrespectful comment referring to the origins of Israel on a ‘crappy piece of land’. I was referring to the fact that the land has limited natural resources. I understand that this flippant comment has caused pain and that it diminishes the connection Palestinians also have to the land. I regret what I said and I apologize without reservation,” she posted on X on February 2.

Robinson also announced her decision not seek re-election for Coquitlam-Maillardville, a constituency represented by her since 2013.

British Columbia premier David Eby said Robinson said the duo jointly decided that Robinson should step down from her government position, and reach out to communities harmed by her remarks.

“Selina’s comments were wrong, they crossed the line, they were belittling and demeaning to a community of people that is already under profound pressure due to the war in the Middle East,” Eby told a news conference.

Israel was formed in 1948 through a UN mandate after carving a chunk of land from the erstwhile Palestinian territory. The creation of a Jewish state started an ever-going conflict between Israel and its Arab neighbours, the latest being Hamas’ October 7 attacks that left nearly 1200 people dead and paved the way for Tel Aviv’s invasion in the conclave.

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