Canada Must Address Its Complicity in Palestinian Dispossession on Nakba Day
May 15, 2024
On today’s commemoration of the 76th anniversary of the Nakba, Justice for All Canada calls on the Canadian government to confront its complicity in Palestinian dispossession.
MP Matthew Green's Nakba Bill initiative represents a significant substantial government action in countering Israeli policies and affirming Palestinian rights. We endorse civil society recommendations introduced to inform and strengthen the bill, including those from groups like CJPME. We expect the bill to garner widespread support in Parliament due to its critical objectives amid the Israeli government’s unchecked ethnic cleansing campaign in Gaza.
“The Nakba isn't just a past event. We are witnessing its continuation today. It’s 76 years of Palestinian dispossession, injustice and a stark indication of what we're seeing in Gaza today,” said Taha Ghayyur, Executive Director of Justice For All Canada. “It's ongoing colonization and ethnic cleansing in Palestine unabated by the failure to heed the lessons of recent past genocides, which sadly haven't served as a precedent to prevent current atrocities,” added Ghayyur.
The Nakba and its Present-day Relevance
Canada's failure to acknowledge the Nakba and instances of Nakba denial contribute to anti-Palestinian racism. This includes recent governmental actions opposing UN Nakba commemorations and boycotting Nakba Day events.
Justice For All Canada has published a letter to the editor in support of the Peel District School Board (PDSB) for recognizing Nakba Day in its Days of Significance Calendar. Additionally, we stand in solidarity with Palestinian civil society policy recommendations presented to MP Matthew Green for his bill. Undertaking these key actions would reflect Canada's obligations under international law to protect persecuted peoples:
On today’s commemoration of the 76th anniversary of the Nakba, Justice for All Canada calls on the Canadian government to confront its complicity in Palestinian dispossession.
MP Matthew Green's Nakba Bill initiative represents a significant substantial government action in countering Israeli policies and affirming Palestinian rights. We endorse civil society recommendations introduced to inform and strengthen the bill, including those from groups like CJPME. We expect the bill to garner widespread support in Parliament due to its critical objectives amid the Israeli government’s unchecked ethnic cleansing campaign in Gaza.
“The Nakba isn't just a past event. We are witnessing its continuation today. It’s 76 years of Palestinian dispossession, injustice and a stark indication of what we're seeing in Gaza today,” said Taha Ghayyur, Executive Director of Justice For All Canada. “It's ongoing colonization and ethnic cleansing in Palestine unabated by the failure to heed the lessons of recent past genocides, which sadly haven't served as a precedent to prevent current atrocities,” added Ghayyur.
The Nakba and its Present-day Relevance
- The Nakba signifies the expulsion, destruction, and ethnic cleansing of Palestine during Israel's establishment in 1948. This ongoing process includes genocide, mass displacement in Gaza, illegal settlements, house demolitions, forced evictions, settler violence in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, and parts of the Negev.
- Over 720,000 Palestinians were forcibly expelled during 1947-1949, forbidden from returning.
- Today, a Second Nakba unfolds in Gaza, displacing nearly two million Palestinians, with signs of forced migration into Egypt. In the West Bank, Israeli actions have emptied 16 Palestinian communities since 1948, reflecting continuous forced expulsion from generational homes and land.
Canada's failure to acknowledge the Nakba and instances of Nakba denial contribute to anti-Palestinian racism. This includes recent governmental actions opposing UN Nakba commemorations and boycotting Nakba Day events.
Justice For All Canada has published a letter to the editor in support of the Peel District School Board (PDSB) for recognizing Nakba Day in its Days of Significance Calendar. Additionally, we stand in solidarity with Palestinian civil society policy recommendations presented to MP Matthew Green for his bill. Undertaking these key actions would reflect Canada's obligations under international law to protect persecuted peoples:
- Officially recognize the Nakba and Canada's role in Palestine's partition.
- Acknowledge Nakba denial as anti-Palestinian racism impacting free speech and academic freedom.
- Actively oppose ongoing Nakba through boycotts, divestments, and sanctions against Israel.
- Support Palestine refugees' rights to return, restitution, and compensation per UNGA Resolution 194 and international law principles.
- Demand accountability and reparations by advocating for an International Criminal Tribunal for Palestine and supporting the ICC's investigation into war crimes in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.