What is Canada’s position on illegal settlements in the OPT?

According to Global Affairs Canada, the Canadian government does not recognize Israeli control over the occupied territories of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.[1] More importantly, Canada views Israel’s illegal settlements as a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention and UN Security Council Resolutions 446 and 465.[2]

Canada has “strongly” condemned the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements as an “obstacle to peace.”[3] However, while acknowledging the illegality of settlements, consecutive Liberal and Conservative governments have failed to pursue tangible policy against Israel’s violations of international law.[4] In fact, Canada gives free trade benefits to illegal settlement businesses,[5] and since 2011 Canada has voted against UN Resolutions that “Reaffirm that the Israeli settlements in the [OPT] … are illegal and an obstacle to peace and economic and social development.”[6]

Why did Canada sanction Israeli settlers? 

In May 2024, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly announced that Canada had imposed sanctions against some Israeli settlers for the first time. The announcement of sanctions was based on increasing extremist settler violence and intensifying attacks against Palestinian civilians and their property in the occupied West Bank.[7]    

These sanctions follow a wave of sanctions imposed by the United States, Europe, the United Kingdom, Japan, France and Australia.[8] The sanctions target Israeli settlers, settler groups, and illegal settlement outposts by freezing assets, blocking funds, and imposing travel bans.[9]

What are the sanctions that Canada has imposed against settler violence?

The Canadian government initially imposed sanctions against four Israeli individuals under the Special Economic Measures Act. The sanctions were later expanded to include an additional seven individuals and five settler groups. The sanctions under this measure prevent “any person in Canada or Canadian outside Canada” from “dealing in the property of, entering into transactions with, providing services to, transferring property to, or otherwise making goods available to listed persons.”[10] The measures also “render listed individuals inadmissible to Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.”[11]

The government claims that the objectives of these sanctions are to:

• Deter future violence by Israeli extremist settlers against Palestinian civilians in the OPT.
• Hold Israeli extremist setters responsible for their harmful actions.
• Uphold Canada’s policy for “opposing settler violence against Palestinian civilians, forced displacement, and the expansion of illegal settlements in the OPT.”[12]

Who are the Israeli settlers and settler groups that Canada has sanctioned?

Canada’s sanctions target 11 Jewish-Israeli settlers and 5 settler entities that harass and attack Palestinians and their homes and farmland. Examples of the incitement and violence by these individuals include:

• David Chai Chasdai, initiated and led the pogrom of Huwwara village in the occupied West Bank in February 2023.[13] Chasdai and other settlers burned over 30 Palestinian homes and their cars, killing and wounding 5 Palestinians.[14]
• Einan Tanjil was involved in an incident in 2021 where he attacked Palestinians and Israeli activists with stones and clubs.[15] The Israeli activists were helping Palestinian farmers harvest olives.
• Meir Mordechai Ettinger, leader of the anti-Palestinian extremist group Hilltop Youth was responsible for the Duma Arson attack in 2015 which killed 18-month-old baby Ali Dawabsheh and his parents.[16]
• Daniella Weiss, settler leader and founder of Nachala, a settler organization which helps establish illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.[17] Weiss wants to rebuild settlements in Gaza claiming that Palestinians should go to the Sinai, Egypt or Turkey.

The settler entities that have been sanctioned are also actively involved in terrorizing Palestinians, forcibly displacing them from their indigenous lands. The five groups on Canada’s list have been involved in the following: 

• Moshe’s farm, an illegal settlement established in 2020 has forcibly expelled Palestinian bedouins and shepherds in the Jordan Valley.[18] Founder Moshe Sharvit actively harasses, threatens, attacks, and prevents Palestinian farmers from reaching their grazing areas.[19]
• Zvi’s Farm, founded by Zvi Bar Yosef in 2019 has expropriated over 2,500 dunams (over 2,000,000 sq ft) of Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank.[20] Zvi is known for expelling Palestinian families from picnicking and picking olives in the village of Jibiya.[21]
• Amana, a settler organization established in 1976 has been actively involved in developing illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, most notably Sheikh Jarrah.[22] The organization hopes to settle one million illegal Jewish-Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.[23]

What do Canada's sanctions leave out?

While Canada’s sanctions against illegal settlers and groups set an important precedent, they fail to address the Israeli leaders who sponsor and promote such violence and land theft. For example, the sanctions fail to target Israeli ministers such as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich who has openly expressed support to annex the entire occupied West Bank.[24] The sanctions also fail to target Minister of Security Itamar Ben-Gvir who has actively advocated for attacks on Palestinians and helped arm thousands of Israelis including settlers.[25] While applying sanctions is a legitimate form of economic pressure, they fail to include the “politicians and government entities arming and mobilising”[26] Israel’s ethnic cleansing and illegal expropriation in the occupied West Bank.

What are some recommendations Canada should take vis-à-vis illegal settlers and settlements?

Despite the sanctions, Canada remains complicit in Israel’s illegal settlement of the OPT. Although Israeli settlements are considered war crimes under Canadian law, the government needs to take political and economic measures to end its involvement. Recommendations that the Canadian government must take include:

• Impose sanctions on Israeli government officials who are involved in and support Israeli settlements and settler organizations;
• Investigate and prosecute individuals involved in the sale of Palestinian land in the OPT;
• Divest the Canadian Pension Plan from any investments in companies that are complicit in Israeli land theft and illegal settlements;
• Ensure the Canada Revenue Agency denies charitable tax credits to all charitable donations that uphold the illegal settlement economy;
• Impose a complete arms embargo on Israel to ensure that no Canadian weapons are diverted to or used to support Israeli settlements. [27]

[1] “Canadian policy on key issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” Government of Canada, Accessed August 7, 2024, https://www.international.gc.ca/world-monde/international_relations-relations_internationales/mena-moan/israeli-palestinian_policy-politique_israelo-palestinien.aspx?lang=eng#a08

[2] Ibid.

[3] “Australia, Canada, UK ‘deeply concerned’ over Israeli settlements.” Al Jazeera.  July 1, 2023.

[4] “Attitude towards Israel’s illegal settlement expansion,” CJPME, Accessed August 7, 2024, https://www.cjpme.org/eg2019_israel_illegal_settlement_expansion

[5] “Annexing Palestine Through Trade: The Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement and the Occupied Palestinian Territories,” CJPME, September 2023.

[6] UN Dashboard, CJPME, Accessed August 7, 2024, https://www.cjpme.org/un_dashboard

[7] “Canada imposes sanctions on perpetrators of extremist settler violence against civilians in West Bank,” Government of Canada, Accessed August 7, 2024, https://www.canada.ca/en/global-affairs/news/2024/05/canada-imposes-sanctions-on-perpetrators-of-extremist-settler-violence-against-civilians-in-west-bank.html

[8] Motamedi, M. “Which countries have sanctioned Israeli settlers – and does it mean much?”Al Jazeera, July 29, 2024.

[9] Ibid.

^[10] “Canadian Sanctions Related to Extremist Settler Violence in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem,” Government of Canada, Accessed August 14, 2024, https://www.international.gc.ca/world-monde/international_relations-relations_internationales/sanctions/esv-vec.aspx?lang=eng#a1

[11] Ibid.

[12] Ibid.

[13] Frankel, Julia. “Online fundraisers for violent West Bank settlers raised thousands, despite international sanctions.” City News Halifax. February 22, 2024.

[14] Ibid.

[15] Reiss, Johnatan and Gaya Gupta. “Who are the four Israelis placed under U.S. sanctions over West Bank violence?” New York Times. February 1, 2024.

[16] “Meir Mordechai Ettinger,” Extremist Monitoring Analysis Network, Accessed August 14, 2024, https://www.eman-network.com/extremist-individuals/meir-mordechai-ettinger

[17] Chatiner, Isaac. “The Extreme Ambitions of West Bank settlers.” The New Yorker. November 11, 2023.

[18] “Peace Now and Jordan Valley Activists Filed a Petition for the Eviction of Moshe Sharvit’s Outpost Amid International Sanctions,” Peace Now, Accessed August 20, 2024.

[19] Ibid.

[20] Breaking the Silence (@BtSIsrael), Tweet, February 14, 2024, https://x.com/BtSIsrael/status/1757782105096933721

[21] Shezaf, Hagar, “Armed with an M16 and Jewish Privilege, This Settler Makes Palestinians' Lives Hell,” Haaretz, August 7, 2023.

[22] “Amana Profits NIS 1 Million Per Year on Expropriated Palestinian Land,” Peace Now, Accessed August 20, 2024.

[23] Tibon, Amir, Bar Peleg and Josh Breiner, “Canada imposes sanctions on prominent Israeli settler leaders, organizations in the West Bank,” Haaretz, June 27, 2024.

[24] “Israel announced largest Palestinian land grab in over 30 years.” Middle East Eye. July 3, 2023.

[25] “Lurie-Pardes, Eyal, “Ben-Gvir is arming thousands of Israel – and playing with fire,” Democracy for the Arab World Now, November 3, 2023.

[26] Ibid.

[27] For more information, see CJPME’s position paper A Whole-of-government approach to ending Canadian involvement in Israeli settlements, April 2024.