The Montreal City Council is set to debate a controversial motion Monday calling on the Canadian city to suspend all institutional ties with the Israeli government. Avi Lewis, a leading Jewish Canadian politician and head of the progressive New Democratic Party, says it’s a reflection of widespread outrage among Canadians over Israel’s actions across the Middle East. Pro-Israel forces “are on the defensive now,” says Lewis. “They still capture most of the political class and the mainstream media, but among the majority of people, we want to see our government step up and take a clear moral position against apartheid, against genocide and against the killing of civilians.”