 In part, this change was reflected in the effort to restore traditional Canadian support for the reestablishment of the traditional Jewish nation-state of Israel, the only transparent democracy in the Middle East.The Harper governments emphasized their commitment to supporting Israel's right to self-defence.Following the collapse of the Oslo peace efforts in 2000/1, and the wave of Palestinian mass terror and Israeli responses, the Liberal government had become increasingly identified with European sympathy for Palestinians and criticism of Israel, in strong contrast to the US and the George W. Bush administration, which blamed Arafat and ended contact with him.