Ceasefire and Canadian Leadership Response to Israeli War Crimes in Gaza Shamefully Inadequate
Friday, May 21st, 2021
Justice For All Canada, a global human rights advocacy organization, calls on Canadian leaders to pursue their moral and human rights obligations in light of today’s Egyptian-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Palestine.
It is imperative for Canada to stand against all forms of violence and warfare and advocate for the security and protection of Palestinians, whose lives, homes, and land continue to be violated by Israel. All deaths and injuries are unacceptable, avoidable, and must be condemned by all means. To place the ongoing conflict in perspective, Israel’s bombardment of Gaza has killed at least 243 Palestinians, including 66 children, causing widespread devastation to the already impoverished territory. In Israel, 12 people, including 2 children, were killed.
“It’s unacceptable that Canada has exported $57 million worth of weapons to Israel, including $16 million in bomb components, just since 2015. The targeted attacks on Gaza should compel Canada to reassess its arms exports and imports to Israel,” said Taha Ghayyur, Executive Director of Justice For All Canada. “This reassessment must include Canada’s recent contract with Israel’s largest weapons company, Elbit Systems, which supplies 85% of drones used by the Israeli military to monitor and attack Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza,” explained Ghayyur.
According to the World Health Organization, there has been “significant trauma” in Gaza, including 8,538 people injured. With approximately 30 Palestinian health facilities also damaged, 14,000 home units partially damaged, and 1,000 individual homes completely destroyed, the devastation remains immeasurable.
We insist that the long-standing pattern of Israeli bombing of Gaza is a deliberate attempt to deprive Palestinians of human dignity, basic infrastructure, and the right to resist one of the most brutal military occupations in the world.
Justice For All Canada upholds UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ recent statement that described Gaza as “hell on earth” for children. It is utterly unacceptable that the Secretary-General’s appeal for rapid, unhindered humanitarian and aid access to the 193-member General Assembly was blocked 3 times by the United States Government (since the recent violence).
We thank the Hon. MP Salma Zahid (Chair of the Canada-Palestine Parliamentary Friendship) for mobilizing 24 Members of Parliament, including 2 senators, in urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to “apply the same democratic tools that Canada has used in condemning China’s behaviour in Xinjiang… and in sanctioning Russian officials in the annexation of Crimea”.
We would be remiss not to point out the stark contrast of those divisive, one-sided, and out-of-touch statements from leaders such as Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce and Toronto Mayor John Tory.
“This blatant and gradual displacement of Palestinians from a land intended for them is illegal, as stated by the United Nations Security Council several times over. At this rate, we’re stunned that the Canadian Government has not condemned the Israeli Government’s plan to annihilate the Palestinian population through intentional policies of suppression, forced evictions, and demolitions in East Jerusalem,” added Ghayyur.
Canada has consistently opposed and sanctioned countries for human rights violations. The failure to do so against Israel, will only serve to portray Canada as a selective champion of human rights.
Justice For All Canada, a global human rights advocacy organization, calls on Canadian leaders to pursue their moral and human rights obligations in light of today’s Egyptian-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Palestine.
It is imperative for Canada to stand against all forms of violence and warfare and advocate for the security and protection of Palestinians, whose lives, homes, and land continue to be violated by Israel. All deaths and injuries are unacceptable, avoidable, and must be condemned by all means. To place the ongoing conflict in perspective, Israel’s bombardment of Gaza has killed at least 243 Palestinians, including 66 children, causing widespread devastation to the already impoverished territory. In Israel, 12 people, including 2 children, were killed.
“It’s unacceptable that Canada has exported $57 million worth of weapons to Israel, including $16 million in bomb components, just since 2015. The targeted attacks on Gaza should compel Canada to reassess its arms exports and imports to Israel,” said Taha Ghayyur, Executive Director of Justice For All Canada. “This reassessment must include Canada’s recent contract with Israel’s largest weapons company, Elbit Systems, which supplies 85% of drones used by the Israeli military to monitor and attack Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza,” explained Ghayyur.
According to the World Health Organization, there has been “significant trauma” in Gaza, including 8,538 people injured. With approximately 30 Palestinian health facilities also damaged, 14,000 home units partially damaged, and 1,000 individual homes completely destroyed, the devastation remains immeasurable.
We insist that the long-standing pattern of Israeli bombing of Gaza is a deliberate attempt to deprive Palestinians of human dignity, basic infrastructure, and the right to resist one of the most brutal military occupations in the world.
Justice For All Canada upholds UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ recent statement that described Gaza as “hell on earth” for children. It is utterly unacceptable that the Secretary-General’s appeal for rapid, unhindered humanitarian and aid access to the 193-member General Assembly was blocked 3 times by the United States Government (since the recent violence).
We thank the Hon. MP Salma Zahid (Chair of the Canada-Palestine Parliamentary Friendship) for mobilizing 24 Members of Parliament, including 2 senators, in urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to “apply the same democratic tools that Canada has used in condemning China’s behaviour in Xinjiang… and in sanctioning Russian officials in the annexation of Crimea”.
We would be remiss not to point out the stark contrast of those divisive, one-sided, and out-of-touch statements from leaders such as Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce and Toronto Mayor John Tory.
“This blatant and gradual displacement of Palestinians from a land intended for them is illegal, as stated by the United Nations Security Council several times over. At this rate, we’re stunned that the Canadian Government has not condemned the Israeli Government’s plan to annihilate the Palestinian population through intentional policies of suppression, forced evictions, and demolitions in East Jerusalem,” added Ghayyur.
Canada has consistently opposed and sanctioned countries for human rights violations. The failure to do so against Israel, will only serve to portray Canada as a selective champion of human rights.