Montreal, November 20, 2024 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) welcomes Canada’s vote at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to condemn Israel’s illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT), reversing its shameful 13-year-old practice of siding with Israel on the motion. Canada voted in the UNGA’s Fourth Committee for the draft resolution to condemn Israel’s settlement policy after voting against it every year since 2011. It passed 152 to 9. Despite this positive step, CJPME believes that Canada’s gradual change in its approach towards Palestinian human rights at the UNGA is not enough to hold Israel accountable for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

“Canada’s support for this resolution never should have been in question. For the previous 13 years, Canada had been voting against its own stated foreign policy position while giving diplomatic cover to Israel’s colonial take-over of Palestinian territory. We are pleased to see this annual hypocrisy brought to an end,” said Michael Bueckert, Vice President of CJPME.

Today’s resolution also affirms the recent advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which concluded that Israel’s continued presence in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza is unlawful and must be ended as rapidly as possible. In a statement made yesterday to the committee, Canada indicated that its UN voting would reflect the fact that Israel has failed to “respond substantively” to the ICJ advisory opinion. However, CJPME notes that just two months ago Canada abstained on a separate UNGA resolution which had expressed support for the ICJ opinion and demanding Israel’s withdrawal.

“Canada might claim to oppose Israel’s settlements but its actions have been wildly inconsistent. When an opportunity comes to hold Israel accountable, Canada’s professed principles suddenly evaporate. We hope that today’s vote will be the first step towards a coherent foreign policy in support of international law and Palestinian human rights,” said Bueckert.

In another departure from its usual pro-Israel voting record, Canada rightfully resumed its support for a resolution which reaffirmed the right of Palestinian refugees to their properties and revenues, which Canada has voted against since 2011. It passed 162-6. Canada also repeated its support for a resolution in support of UNRWA, the UN aid agency for Palestinian refugees, following abstentions from 2011 until 2023. It passed 165-3. Speaking to the committee after the vote, Canada’s UN Ambassador Bob Rae said that Canada voted “Yes” as a response to Israel’s attacks on UNRWA and its staff. CJPME welcomes this important symbolic expression of support but reiterates that Israel’s war on the UN and its agencies requires urgent concrete action, including sanctions on Israel and its expulsion from the UN.

There are 10-16 standing resolutions on Palestinian human rights which are considered by the UNGA each year. Although in the early 2000s Canada voted in support of nearly all of them, this approach radically changed under Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who in 2011 began voting against nearly every one of these resolutions as a package. CJPME has previously published a report titled “Voting Against Its Own Interests,” which revealed that career foreign affairs officials have warned the government behind the scenes that its staunchly pro-Israel voting record at the United Nations contradicts its own values and interests and harms its international reputation. CJPME’s UN Dashboard is an interactive resource which shows how Canada’s votes on these motions have changed from 2000 to the present.