While Hosting Senator Rubio, Quebec’s G7 Cannot Ignore Human Rights Violations in Palestine and India
March 12th, 2025
This week’s G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Quebec comes at a critical moment in global affairs, where the credibility of international law and human rights commitments is being tested. Although discussions will focus on the Middle East and Indo-Pacific stability, true stability is impossible without addressing the ongoing atrocities in Palestine and India. In both regions, state-backed violence against minorities continues with impunity. G7 leaders will have a responsibility to ensure that their commitments go beyond rhetoric and result in concrete measures for accountability. Human rights advocates across Canada are watching to see whether these deliberations will uphold the principles of justice, or whether G7 nations will once again prioritize political alliances over human rights.
Israel’s genocide on Gaza has already triggered legal action from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which ruled that Israel’s actions plausibly amount to genocide, and the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The evidence is overwhelming: indiscriminate bombings, mass civilian casualties, deliberate starvation, and the destruction of hospitals and humanitarian corridors. Yet, key G7 members, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, have failed to take meaningful action and continued to supply military aid and diplomatic protection to a state accused of genocide. If the G7 is committed to the international legal frameworks it helped establish, this meeting must produce clear commitments: an immediate ceasefire, sanctions on those responsible for war crimes, and full cooperation with ICJ and ICC proceedings.
Furthermore, the presence of problematic figures like U.S. Senator Marco Rubio at this gathering signals a troubling alignment between the G7 and policymakers who have actively advocated for the continuation of Israeli atrocities. Senator Rubio has openly supported Israel’s military actions in Gaza, opposed efforts for a ceasefire, and worked to suppress legitimate advocacy for Palestinian rights. His participation in this high-level discussion demands whether this G7 meeting will serve as a forum for real accountability, or if it will continue to shield perpetrators of mass violence from consequences.
Beyond Palestine, the G7 cannot continue to overlook the rise of Hindutva right-wing extremism in India. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP-ruled) government has escalated its persecution of religious minorities, suppressed democratic dissent, and enabled organized violence against Muslim communities. In fact, genocide experts have issued warnings that the escalating persecution of Muslims in India meets early warning signs of genocide. From the revocation of Kashmir’s autonomy to the discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), India’s trajectory reflects an authoritarian regime where targeted persecution is a precursor to wider crimes against humanity. The G7 speaks frequently of democracy and stability, yet some of its members continue to strengthen political and economic ties with the Modi government without conditions on human rights. If democracy is truly a priority for the G7, then economic and diplomatic relations with India must be tied to clear human rights benchmarks, especially for religious and ethnic minorities who face increasing state-sanctioned marginalization and violence.
As G7 Ministers meet in Quebec, they have an opportunity to correct course and take advantageous actions that align with their principles. This means refusing to enable ongoing war crimes, enforcing consequences for human rights violations, and standing by the international legal institutions designed to prevent genocide. Any refusal to act will send a dangerous message that the rules-based international order applies selectively, eroding the legitimacy of these institutions.
This week’s G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Quebec comes at a critical moment in global affairs, where the credibility of international law and human rights commitments is being tested. Although discussions will focus on the Middle East and Indo-Pacific stability, true stability is impossible without addressing the ongoing atrocities in Palestine and India. In both regions, state-backed violence against minorities continues with impunity. G7 leaders will have a responsibility to ensure that their commitments go beyond rhetoric and result in concrete measures for accountability. Human rights advocates across Canada are watching to see whether these deliberations will uphold the principles of justice, or whether G7 nations will once again prioritize political alliances over human rights.
Israel’s genocide on Gaza has already triggered legal action from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which ruled that Israel’s actions plausibly amount to genocide, and the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The evidence is overwhelming: indiscriminate bombings, mass civilian casualties, deliberate starvation, and the destruction of hospitals and humanitarian corridors. Yet, key G7 members, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, have failed to take meaningful action and continued to supply military aid and diplomatic protection to a state accused of genocide. If the G7 is committed to the international legal frameworks it helped establish, this meeting must produce clear commitments: an immediate ceasefire, sanctions on those responsible for war crimes, and full cooperation with ICJ and ICC proceedings.
Furthermore, the presence of problematic figures like U.S. Senator Marco Rubio at this gathering signals a troubling alignment between the G7 and policymakers who have actively advocated for the continuation of Israeli atrocities. Senator Rubio has openly supported Israel’s military actions in Gaza, opposed efforts for a ceasefire, and worked to suppress legitimate advocacy for Palestinian rights. His participation in this high-level discussion demands whether this G7 meeting will serve as a forum for real accountability, or if it will continue to shield perpetrators of mass violence from consequences.
Beyond Palestine, the G7 cannot continue to overlook the rise of Hindutva right-wing extremism in India. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP-ruled) government has escalated its persecution of religious minorities, suppressed democratic dissent, and enabled organized violence against Muslim communities. In fact, genocide experts have issued warnings that the escalating persecution of Muslims in India meets early warning signs of genocide. From the revocation of Kashmir’s autonomy to the discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), India’s trajectory reflects an authoritarian regime where targeted persecution is a precursor to wider crimes against humanity. The G7 speaks frequently of democracy and stability, yet some of its members continue to strengthen political and economic ties with the Modi government without conditions on human rights. If democracy is truly a priority for the G7, then economic and diplomatic relations with India must be tied to clear human rights benchmarks, especially for religious and ethnic minorities who face increasing state-sanctioned marginalization and violence.
As G7 Ministers meet in Quebec, they have an opportunity to correct course and take advantageous actions that align with their principles. This means refusing to enable ongoing war crimes, enforcing consequences for human rights violations, and standing by the international legal institutions designed to prevent genocide. Any refusal to act will send a dangerous message that the rules-based international order applies selectively, eroding the legitimacy of these institutions.