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December 4, 2025

"An Academic Veneer for Genocide": Protesters Heckle Former Israeli Politicians at Toronto Debate
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In Toronto, protesters interrupted speakers at a prominent debate series
Wednesday evening, after organizers invited four former senior Israeli
politicians to a discussion about the two-state solution for Israel and
Palestine, without inviting a single Palestinian to the stage. The Munk
Debates event featured former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, former
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S.
Michael Oren and former Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked.

Protester 1: "You're a war criminal!"

Tzipi Livni: "That the Zionist dream is in danger."

Protester 1: "You're all war criminals!"

Protester 2: [inaudible] "You shouldn't even be in Canada!"

Protester 1: "Shut up and leave!"

Protester 2: "Easy for you to say."

Protester 1: "Get the [bleep] out of here! You're war criminals!"

In a statement, protest organizers wrote, "By putting these individuals
on stage - unchallenged by any Palestinian voices - the Munk Debates is
creating a sanitized, academic veneer for genocide. The event
manufactures consent for ongoing occupation; launders the reputations of
officials implicated in war crimes; and rewrites reality by excluding
Palestinians entirely."


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