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Canadian PM Pledges to Remain Staunch Ally of Israel

2008-12-24 00:26:32 (Beijing Time)
 OTTAWA, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) — Canada will keep close ties with Israel and remain to be its staunch ally, Prime Minister Stephen Harper promised during a Jewish religious ceremony Monday night.

"Under my government, our country will remain a resolute defender of the Jewish faith, of Jewish religious freedom and our country will remain a staunch ally of the state of Israel," Harper said as he helped light a menorah in Calgary to celebrate the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.

Harper also recalled visiting a museum set up at the site of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp last spring in Poland, according to a report by the Canadian Press.

He said anti-Semitism was "a pernicious evil that must be exposed, confronted and repudiated whenever and wherever it appears."

Rabbis from across Canada took part in the ceremony.