Montreal, November 29, 2024 — On this International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) considers the Trudeau government to have been completely negligent in terms of supporting the lives, livelihoods, and rights of the Palestinian people. CJPME has long urged the Canadian government to take immediate action to stop Israel’s genocide in Gaza and annexation in the West Bank, which are aimed at destroying the Palestinian people. CJPME calls on Prime Minister Trudeau to give his full support to international efforts to hold Israel accountable, including through the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, and to impose a suite of sanctions aimed at bringing an immediate end to Israel’s criminal acts.
“Not since 1948 has the future of Palestine been more in doubt,” said Thomas Woodley, president of CJPME. “The right of the Palestinian people to self-determination is under attack from all sides, while Israeli ministers openly discuss the complete erasure of the Palestinian people. Now is the time for Canada to take an honest stance in support of international law, defend the lives and rights of the Palestinian people, and to stop prioritizing its diplomatic and economic relationship with a genocidal state,” added Woodley.
For more than a year, Israel has waged a genocidal war in Gaza that has brought the territory to the brink of annihilation. Israel has ignored the orders of the ICJ to prevent genocidal acts in Gaza, while the ICC has accused Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Gallant of having knowingly and deliberately “created conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of part of the civilian population in Gaza.” Israel’s Finance Minister Smotrich said this week that it is possible to “occupy Gaza and thin the population by half within two years” and views this as a precedent for depopulating the West Bank. Meanwhile, proposals to formally annex parts of Gaza and the West Bank are likely to get a green light from the incoming Trump administration.
Despite the horrors of the current moment, the past year has seen institutions of international law offer a glimmer of hope that Israeli leaders may eventually be held accountable. The case against Israel at the ICJ for the crime of genocide, the ICJ advisory opinion that Israel must end its unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territory, and the ICC arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity, all provide modest prospects for justice and relief. However, CJPME notes that these rulings and decisions will not stop Israel on their own, but require the international community to enforce and act on them. “Canada must act to ensure that international law applies to everyone, and complement this by supporting calls from Canadian civil society for sanctions and embargos against Israel,” added Woodley.
On this Day of Solidarity, CJPME urges the Canadian government to rise to the urgency of the moment by taking the following actions:
- Impose sanctions on Israeli political and military leaders for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide;
- Impose a comprehensive two-way arms embargo using the Special Economic Measures Act (SEMA),
- Express full support for the ICC arrest warrants and promise to actively cooperate with the court in the arrest and prosecution of Netanyahu and Gallant;
- Express full support for South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the ICJ;
- Recognize the State of Palestine; and
- Align its votes with Palestinian human rights and support initiatives to suspend Israel’s participation at the United Nations General Assembly.