Ten years ago today, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled illegal Israels massive separation wall that runs alongside and inside the Palestinian territories. On July 9, 2004, at the behest of the UN General Assembly, the ICJ, legal arm of the United Nations, indeed issued an Advisory opinion saying the construction of the wall (by occupying power Israel), and its associated régime (imposed on the Palestinians), are contrary to international law. The ICJ Advisory deemed that Israel cannot rely on a right of self-defense or on a state of necessity to preclude the wrongfulness of the construction of the wall. Its ruling called for the barrier to be removed, for residents to be compensated and for UN member States, including Canada, to act to obtain Israels compliance with the Fourth Geneva Convention (GCIV) -- of which Canada is a signatory. Behind the Wall, a land and resource grab Israels Wall does not follow the Green Line between Israel and the West Bank. Rather, it goes far inside the Palestinian Territory, protecting illegal Jewish settlements, expropriating precious Palestinian water and farm land and isolating some Palestinian cities and towns. This important anniversary highlights two opposing trends on the Israel/Palestinian conflict. The Harper government and Israel aim at annexing more Palestinian territory while maintaining a withering occupation and siege. Conversely, the UN, world civil society and a growing number of States are striving for diplomatic solutions to end the occupation and restore the human rights of the Palestinians. Israel, the occupying state, bears responsibility to end the conditions fueling the violent conflict -- whose most recent victims have been a number of Israeli and Palestinian youths brutally murdered. The GCIV covers the protection of civilians in time of war, and imposes specific obligations on occupying powers as regards population transfers, education of children, destruction of property and medical services (Articles 47 to 78). For example, Article 49 states that anoccupying power cannot forcibly deport protected persons, nor can it transfer parts of its own civilian population into occupied territory. In other words, Israel violates the Geneva Convention by building Jewish settlements inside the Palestinian West Bank, and then using the Wall to annex settlement lands into Israel proper. The ICJ Advisory and the Global BDS Campaign On the first anniversary of the ICJs Advisory opinion, nearly 200 Palestinian civil society organizations launched a global Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions Campaign (BDS) to bring Israel tomeet its obligations under international law. The BDS campaign demands Israel end its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands, dismantle the wall, recognize the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality and respect the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties under UN Resolution 194. With support from important figures like veteran anti-Apartheid icon Archbishop Desmond Tutu and UN Special rapporteurs on Human Rights and on Palestine, and Public intellectuals like Naomi Klein and Alice Walker, the BDS campaign keeps growing as a dynamic global movement linking students, trade unions, Churches, Human rights organizations and now even some governments, worldwide. Several major Canadian and Quebec unions such as CUPW (the Canadian Postal Workers Union), the Quebec Teachers Union FNEEQ, the Association pour solidarité syndicale étudiante (ASSE), bodies like the Quebec Federation of Women (FFQ) and les Artistes pour lapaix (APLP), political parties like Québec Solidaire and many other organizations, support BDS. Growing involvement of unions and churches The U.S. Presbyterian Church voted recently to divest from Hewlett Packard, Motorola Solutions and Caterpillar -- on the basis of their record of complicity in the oppression and denial of human rights of Palestinians. The United Church of Canada approved in 2012 alimited boycott of Israeli goods made in the Occupied territories. BDS targets business, security, military, cultural and academic relations with Israel. The Economist reported this year that BDS is turning mainstream as some European pension funds have withdrawn investments and some large corporations have cancelled contracts. Last week in Liverpool, Unite, Britains largest trade union (1.4 million members in all sectors), voted to join the BDS Campaign. Delegates condemned the persecution and ethnic cleansing Israel inflicts on the Palestinian people, the torture of children, and the racist laws aimed at Palestinian citizens of Israel. Growing U.S. and EU pressure on Israel As Israel continues to build new Jewish settlements in the Occupied Territories, it draws more vocal criticism from the U.S. and the EU. The EU is also ratcheting up pressure: Spain and Italy recently joined France, Germany and Britain in advising their citizens not to invest in Israeli settlements. In line with the UN, both the U.S. and the EU regard Israeli settlements on Occupied land as illegal. Spain declared the settlements constitute an obstacle to peace and hinder efforts to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict via a two-state solution. Canada and Quebec were leaders in the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against South African Apartheid. Its time the Canadian government joined in the BDS Campaign and threw its weight behind the ten-year-old ICJ callto dismantle Israels Wall and restore Palestinian Human rights. As Naomi Klein says, its long past time. And, last but not least, Canada needs to genuinely and fully support the search for a diplomatic solution to the festering, decades-old Israel-Palestine conflict. Individual Signers: Aroa El Horani Amir Maasoumi member of Artists for Peace poet Aalya Ahmad, Ph.D.Communications Specialist, Canadian Union of Postal Workers Aziz Choudry, Professor Mcgill University, member of College and University Workers United (CUWU) Abby Lippman Emiratus Professor Mcgill University and member of Independent Jewish Voices Ann E. Pollock Helena Beatriz Muñoz Ramírez activist Bob Aubin de Joliette Bruce Katz member of Palestinian and Jewish Unity Brian Aboud, Vanier College Carol rawson Cindy McCallum Miller, President CUPW Local Castlegar Curtis Marwood-Retired United Church Minister Christian Martel CUPW National Director Quebec Region Chadi Marouf member of Palestinian and Jewish Unity Charles Beckett, Member United Church of Canada, Charlotte Gaudreau, Beirut Cllotilde Bertrand, Member of Palestinian unity and jewish Dave Bleakeny, Union of Postal Workers David Heap, London, Ontario, People for Peace, London. Daniel John Primeau Dawn Robichaud Denise Ouellet Danièle Lacourse Dominique Daigneault, Central Council of Metropolitan Montreal - CSN Donald Grayston, Building Bridges Vancouver, Anglican Church Diane Lamoureux, Professor Université Laval Denis Kosseim, member of committee of solidarity internationals CSN Denise Ouellet Denis Barrette, lawyer Rev. Desmond Jagger-Parsons United Church of Canada Newtown, Newfoundland and Labrador Elizabeth Block, Toronto, ON IJV, NION (Not In Our Name), Jewish Women `s Committee to End the Occupation Ehab Lotayefs Gazas Ark Eric Shragge, retired professor Concordia University Evert Hoogers Ginette Boivin Guylaine Maroist Françoise Miquet, Fadi Shibti Feroz Mehdi, Alternatives International Freda Guttman, Tadamon! Fred Jones George Bartlett, retired lawyer and United Church member Hassan Husseini Pierre Jasmin, Artists for Peace Jooneed Khan form writer for La Presse John Turnbull, Vancouver, member CanPalNet Joane Bourge Jean Rands Jean Léger, Jeremiah Bédard-Wien Joy Moore, Dawson College College and University Workers United Ken DeLisle, United Church of Canada Kevin Gould, professor Concordia University, Univesity College and Workers United Laurence Guenette Lesvia Vela, Guatemala / Canada Lorraine Guay, Coaliiton for Justice and Peace in Palestine Marcel Duhaime Mira Khazzam (member, IJV Canada). Michael Seguin, United Network for a Just Peace in Palestine and Israel (UNJPPI). Mahmoud Abdelal Tadamon Mostafa Henaway, Immigrant Workers Centre Mcgill University professor Michelle Hartman College and University Workers United Marion Pollack - retired union member Ford Ormsby, Quebec Solidaire Patricia Mercer, United Church member Paul Eid, Professor Department of Sociology, UQAM Richard Langlois, Central International Relations of Quebec unions Rushdia Mehreen, BDS Quebec Rashad Antonious, Professor, UQAM Ronald Cameron, Alternatives Sabine Friesinger Pelestinian and Jewish Unity Samir Benmakrelouf Scott Weinstein, Independent Jewish Voices Séverine Defouni Sid Shniad Member, national steering committee Independent Jewish Voices Canada Susan Stout member trade union branch of CanPalnet retired local Unifor 2002 Rev. Steve Berube, St. Pauls United Tami-Brushey CUPW Yves Rochon Yom Shamash - Vancouver IJV
Posted on: Sat, 12 Jul 2014 19:57:14 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015