A Quebec MP has quit the New Democratic Party (NDP) caucus, citing her objection to the party’s “pro-Israel” position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in particular since the start of hostilities early in July between Israel and Hamas.

Tunisian-born Sana Hassainia, who represents the riding of Verchères-Les Patriotes, southeast of Montreal, announced on her blog Aug. 20 that she’ll sit as an independent until the federal election next year and won’t run again.

She complained about an “unclear” party policy that she said has been shifting since the start of the hostilities.

Later, Hassainia told the media that “as an Arab and a Muslim” she could not support the NDP position, as enunciated by leader Thomas Mulcair, which she feels is no different from that of Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Mulcair reacted to her defection by saying that the NDP’s two-state position is “thoughtful and nuanced” and no different than it was under his predecessor, the late Jack Layton, whom Hassainia refers to affectionately.

Hassainia blogged: “The first statement that the NDP issued [on July 22] is clearly despicable in my eyes. It said, more or less, that Israel has the right to defend itself against terrorist attacks by Hamas. Later, probably because of pressure from within and outside the party, the position evolved somewhat to something less clearly pro-Israel.

“Some press releases and a few tweets later, the official party position became that of wanting to save Palestinian children by taking care of them in Canada.”

Hassainia, who was first elected in 2011, charges that the NDP is “trying to smooth its image somehow, by taking a less categorical position, but really it isn’t deceiving anyone… Declaring that we are for peace in the Middle East is not a position; in fact, it’s a non-position. It’s a way to avoid the issue and postpone a discussion on a topic that ‘angers.’”

Hassainia, who says she was thinking of resigning for months, also cites personal differences with Mulcair, saying she feels she’s fallen out of favour with him because she supported his chief rival, Brian Topp, for the party leadership in 2012. 

She suggests that those in the NDP who hold opinions that are not in line with Mulcair’s fear expressing their convictions. She said she left Tunisia in 2000 in order to have freedom of thought and speech.

At a news conference in Toronto immediately after Hassainia’s announcement, Mulcair said: “The NDP has a long-standing position in favour of the two-state solution in the Middle East – a safe, secure state within negotiated borders for Israelis and a safe, secure state within negotiated borders for Palestinians. Sana in her note made it clear she doesn’t agree with that.”

The NDP now holds 55 of the 75 Quebec seats in the House of Commons, down from the 59 it won in May 2011 in a historic surge in popularity. The party had previously only ever elected two MPs in Quebec, Mulcair being one of them.

In his July 22 statement, Mulcair said: “Hamas is a recognized terrorist organization and Israel has the right to defend its citizens from these attacks, while doing its utmost to protect civilians… If it were as simple as saying one side is always right, the other side is always wrong, this conflict would not have already endured for generations.”

In an opinion piece in the Toronto Star on Aug. 10, Mulcair spoke of “the bloody toll” to that date and stressed that Israel should avoid civilian casualties.

“Israel’s right to defend itself comes with the responsibility to protect civilian lives  and we have criticized the unacceptable number of Palestinian civilian casualties from Israeli Defence Forces attacks during this conflict.”

He also distanced the NDP from the Conservatives’ and Liberals’ “one-sided approach,” saying the Canadian government must pursue “a more responsible position – one focused on civilian protection and supporting international efforts for an immediate and lasting ceasefire.”

Jeff Itcush, probably the most senior Jewish Quebec NDP member, took issue with Hassainia’s assertion the party has wavered in its Middle East policy under Mulcair.

Itcush, who describes himself as “a lifelong Zionist,” said Mulcair has been consistent in his belief that Israel has the right to exist and defend itself, since he entered federal politics in 2007.

Itcush, who worked on Mulcair’s byelection campaign that year, said he had a serious exchange with Mulcair on the Israeli-Palestinian issue at the time and concluded that “he and I see things very much eye-to-eye. And he has not deviated from that since then, come what may.”

Itcush said that does not mean that members with contrary views cannot air them, and he knows many in the NDP who have “dramatically different” positions on the Middle East.

“[Hassainia] could have discussed these issues in the caucus. The party says it’s news to them that she felt this way,” Itcush said.

Shimon Fogel, chief executive officer of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, said that “Hassainia was widely viewed, both within the NDP caucus and within the political sector generally, as an ineffective, unengaged member of Parliament. The fact that she was present in the House of Commons for less than 10 per cent of the votes underscores her lack of commitment to the democratic process and the responsibilities entrusted to her by her constituents.”

(Hassainia, 39, gave birth to two children during her three years in Parliament.)

Fogel said it was widely known months ago that Hassainia would not be running for a second term, “so the melodramatic statement represents little more than an effort to distract people from her personal record.”

The CJN’s efforts to reach both Mulcair and Hassainia were unsuccessful.