BDS Hub – Page 16 – Canada Palestine Association

Canadian Hypocrisy at its Zenith

Today, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau finally spoke out about Israel’s upcoming annexation plans and was quoted as saying that he has “expressed Canada’s disagreement over the proposed annexation directly to Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz, the country’s ‘alternate’ prime minister under a power-sharing agreement.”

CPA chairperson, Hanna Kawas, responded to the Prime Minister’s comments on Israel’s annexation of the West Bank, with the following statement:

If the Trudeau government truly “favours a two-state solution”, why did it vote AGAINST all resolutions that support the two state solution at the UN General Assembly for the past five years?!

1. The “Peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine” resolution that calls “on Member States not to recognize any changes to the pre-1967 borders, including with regards to Jerusalem”;
2. “Permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources” resolution;
3. The resolution that condemns the “Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the occupied Syrian Golan” and reaffirms the “inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force”;
4. The resolution concerning “Israeli practices affecting the human rights of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem” that expresses “grave concern about the continuing systematic violation of the human rights of the Palestinian people by Israel”.

And finally, why would Canada vote against a resolution to uphold the rights of “Persons displaced as a result of the June 1967 and subsequent hostilities”, unless it supports Israel’s ethnic cleansing of the West Bank and the “Greater Israel Project”?!

Today, PM Trudeau claimed to “deplore” Israel’s annexation plans and said they “are going to delay any prospect of lasting peace in the Middle East”. If the Canadian government is genuine in this belated expression of opposition to Israel’s illegal policies, then the absolute minimum expected is to impose sanctions on the Israeli government until it respects international law. Actions speak louder than words!

Western hypocrisy is empowering Israeli annexation!

There is a recent surge of official voices in the West that are alarmed at the agenda of the new Israeli coalition government. Many western liberal governments are offering slightly more than their usual token objections to Israeli policy, including some European threats of sanctions if Israel implements its new annexation plans.

Is all of this because of concern for the human rights of Palestinians? Or concern for the “rule of law” that they are so fond of referencing?

Or is it because they know that formal Israeli annexation of new chunks of the occupied Palestinian territories will be the final blow to the moribund “two-state solution”? A mirage that for over a quarter of a century has legitimized and fueled the status quo of Israeli settler colonialism and continuing ethnic cleansing, but with “plausible deniability” for many international players.

Once this new annexation is implemented, even though it is really only a legalization of what already exists on the ground, then the “two-state” carrot can no longer be dangled in front of Palestinian and Arab eyes as any type of legitimate approach.

Since the signing of Oslo in 1993, this flawed approach has been a bonanza, not just for successive Israeli governments, but also for many others. How many countries have increased and normalized diplomatic and military cooperation with Israel; how many governments have increased free trade agreements with Israel, in the process blessing the fruits of an illegal occupation; and how many have been able to dismiss legitimate Palestinian resistance and grievances under the ruse of negotiations over the illusory and promised but never delivered “two-state” future?

Annexation by any other name…is still annexation.

All the while in these last 27 years, Israel has at least tripled the number of illegal settlers, pushing Palestinians off their lands, crippling Palestinian agriculture and development, and then killing or injuring Palestinians who dare to protest. All with the blessing of the international community as long as some lip-service is paid to the mantra of the “two-state” solution. As long as one adds some sentence at the end of a press release committing to a “negotiated settlement based on two states”, then support of Israeli military brutality can carry on unexcused.

Not that any of this should come as a surprise. Back in 1992, even before the Oslo Accords were on the table, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir was blunt in stating the purpose of such endless negotiations. According to the NY Times, he was quoted “in a published interview…as saying he wanted to drag out peace talks with the Palestinians for a decade while vastly increasing the number of Jewish settlers in Israeli-occupied territories”.

And even if we accept the hypothesis that some analysts are now putting forward that the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority were misled and duped by these Israeli-US schemes, we have to ask: For 27 years?? Perhaps five years, after which the promised Palestinian state was supposed to be implemented. But over a quarter of a century?? Even the late Yasser Arafat finally realized the strategic error involved in the quagmire of the Oslo Accords, a realization that many would argue cost him his life in 2004.

And its not as if there weren’t already precedents for US deception regarding the Palestinian movement. In 1982, then US special envoy Philip Habib guaranteed the safety of people in the refugee camps if the PLO agreed to leave Beirut. Written notes stated: “We also reaffirm the assurances of the United States as regards safety and security…for the camps in Beirut.” And we all know the tragedy that quickly followed, the Sabra and Shatila massacre, where over a thousand unarmed Palestinian men, women and children were butchered and driven out of their homes yet again.

All those now finally finding their voices to criticize Israel’s new annexation plans should know that their words ring hollow, unless they are backed up by significant and concrete steps to hold Israel accountable. The absolute minimum would be sanctions on the government and state of Israel until it respects international law. Imposed immediately! Anything less is just naked deception, aimed at keeping Palestinians under the boot of Zionist colonization permanently.

By Marion Kawas

This article was published in the Palestine Chronicle under the title:
Western Hypocrisy has Empowered Israeli Annexation

Boycott Israeli Wine, Stand up for Palestine!!

New Video from Feb. 29th Action, FB Event Page

BDS activists were out leafleting on February 29, 2020 in Vancouver, to say Boycott Israeli Wines, and to tell consumers that both the Canadian and BC governments are complicit in Israeli war crimes against Palestinians. They are asking people to contact the BC Attorney General, David Eby (see below) to demand that BC Liquor Stores stop violating international law.

BC’s Liquor Distribution Branch continues its complicity with the violation of Palestinian human rights. Despite calls from multiple local organizations for a boycott of Israeli wines, many produced in occupied Palestinian and Syrian territories in the West Bank and the Golan Heights, they continue to be sold in our publicly owned BC Liquor Stores.

Our appeals to BC Attorney General David Eby, responsible for the provincial Liquor Distribution Branch, have seen no action and little response. We urge you to join us in calling on Mr. Eby and the Liquor Distribution Branch to take a stand in respect of international law and Palestinian human rights, and halt this complicity in Israeli war crimes against the Palestinian people.

Human rights violations are not a valid “consumer choice” – but they are the choice being made every day by the BC Liquor Distribution Branch. These are our publicly funded stores and should reflect a commitment to human rights, including justice for the Palestinian people. It’s time to make a change and respect international law rather than violating it!

What you can do:

CALL: David Eby, BC Attorney General: (604) 660-1297

EMAIL: AG.minister@gov.bc.ca

Tell him: It’s time for BC Liquor Stores to stop violating international law. Pull “Made in Israel” settlement wines off the shelf!

BC Attorney General: Still stonewalling on illegal Israeli wines in BC stores

The following letter was sent to BC Attorney General David Eby on December 9, 2019. Once again, he has chosen to ignore our concerns and refuses to respond with any explanation.

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Dear Mr. Eby:

Since we sent you our letter on Oct. 17, 2018 regarding your refusal to remove Israeli wines from BC Liquor Stores, we have not received any further reply regarding our concerns.

Since then significant developments have taken place, and we would like to bring them to your attention.

On July 29 of this year, the Federal Court ruled that “product of Israel” labels from wines made in the West Bank, in the occupied Palestinian territories are “false, misleading and deceptive,” and ordered the removal of such labels.
On August 2^nd, 2019, the NDP issued a statement in support of this Court ruling that stated:
“New Democrats welcome this decision, which we view as a step forward for justice in Israel and Palestine…These settlements are illegal and clearly violate the fourth Geneva Convention…Products made in illegal settlements that are imported into Canada with “Product of Israel” labels fly in the face of the Government of Canada’s policy on the status of Palestinian territory as well as international law.”
On September 6, 2019 “Canada’s attorney general announced he was appealing a recent federal court ruling that banned labeling wines made in West Banks settlements as products of Israel…The announcement…put the Canadian government squarely in the limelight as openly violating the Fourth Geneva Convention.”
On November 12, 2019, the Guardian reported that: “The European Union’s top court has ruled that EU countries must identify products made in Israeli settlements on their labels, in a decision welcomed by rights groups but likely to spark anger in Israel. The European court of justice said: ‘Foodstuffs originating in the territories occupied by the state of Israel must bear the indication of their territory of origin’.”
During the past federal elections, the “I Vote Palestine” campaign received a YES answer from the NDP relating to two BDS questions:
* Do you recognize the rights of Canadians to support the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions BDS movement as a non-violent strategy to force Israel to abide by UN resolutions and all international humanitarian laws?
A. Yes.
* Do you oppose condemning or criminalizing people or organizations who support the BDS Movement?
A. Yes.

Your stated reason for keeping “Made in Israel” wines on the shelves was that, “It is the Liquor Distribution Branch’s (LDB) policy to respect its customers’ right to make choices”. We should inform you this reasoning is flawed; actually it is the opposite of the ruling of the Canadian Federal Court which stated: “because the wines weren’t labelled as products of the West Bank, Canadians were unable to make informed decisions as consumers, particularly if they wanted to ‘buy conscientiously’.” And it is also the opposite of the EU court ruling: “labelling of products from Israeli settlements must provide an ‘indication of that provenance’ so consumers could make “informed choices” when they shopped.”

We urge you to reconsider your position and respond positively to the thirty-one groups, that signed the original letter asking you to take action regarding “Made in Israel” wines in B.C. Liquor Stores. As stated in that letter, and still valid today, all of the Israeli wines currently in stock “are either from the Galil Winery, which is a joint venture with the Golan Heights Winery (the name of which speaks for itself), or from the occupied West Bank, including the illegal Gush Etzion settlement bloc around Jerusalem.”

Please “have the courage” to “stand up for what is right” as the “NDP Statement on Federal Court Decision on ‘Product of Israel’ Labels” claimed when stating that the party believes in a principled foreign policy . “The NDP will always stand up for what is right, even when others don’t have the courage to do it.”

If this is true and not just crass political opportunism, then we expect concrete action in situations like this where you are in a position to make a difference. A year ago, you informed us: “my schedule does not allow me to meet with you at this time.” Does your schedule now allow for addressing our human rights concerns?

Regards,

Hanna Kawas, Chairperson, Canada Palestine Association
Aiyanas Ormond, Coordinator, BDS Vancouver-Coast Salish

c.c. John Horgan, Premier of BC, premier@gov.bc.ca

Jagmeet Singh, NDP Leader, Jagmeet.Singh@parl.gc.ca

All Signatory Groups on the Open Letter

Media Complicity in Demonizing Palestinians

York University Update

“The damage has been done, the smear was repeated and repeated, and a half-hearted revision five days after the first story will not undue the harm that has been caused.”

This quote is from the article posted on the CPA website yesterday, entitled “Jerusalem Post admits to printing false info about York University protest”. That article detailed how false and dangerous accusations against pro-Palestinian supporters in a Jerusalem Post story had lacked any credible evidence and were eventually revised in updated versions.

But indeed, the smear becomes accepted fact. Just today, November 28, 2019, the Toronto Sun carried an inflammatory article by Joe Warmington, entitled “Did York University protestors commit a hate crime?” repeating the same false accusation, again referencing the Jerusalem Post and its quote from Shar Leyb. The original Sun article declared: “One person they may want to talk with is Calgary-born Shar Leyb, a Reservists on Duty speaker who — according to the Jerusalem Post — said “there were hundreds of posters that read ‘stop the IDF killers on campus,’ and ‘we do not let Zionists on York University campus” and we heard some outside chanting “Intifada, Intifada, go back to the ovens, you belong in Europe.’ I have never felt so much hate in my life.”

However, after we pointed out to them in an email exchange that even the Jerusalem Post had revised that quote and removed the second part of it, the Sun has now also revised their story. Mind you, they did not feel compelled to alter the misleading title.

Following the original exchange with the Jerusalem Post and a further query by Dimitri Lascaris, the paper is now on the 5^th version of this particular article. FIVE versions in less than a week. Surely that points to the lack of any credibility of the one biased source for this information. Nonetheless, JPost still insists on repeating it in their introductory paragraph, although attributing it to only “several” protestors.

Even the right-wing FrontPage Mag has revised its story on who alleges to have heard this “chant” and the exact wording involved, but they also are still insisting on leading with this claim in their article and even in their title. Their source is also Shar Leyb, not surprisingly the same source as the Jerusalem Post.

This is how media works to demonize Palestinians and their struggle. First, its an angry mob of 600 who chanted this offensive slogan, then it was downgraded to a handful or several protestors. Then the actual quote from the one source is completely removed from the Jerusalem Post. But the seed has been planted and the tags of racist and anti-Semitic have been loosely thrown around, with even the spectre of “hate crimes” brought up. Will anyone, including PM Justin Trudeau, bother to review all of these developments and admit they were wrong to issue their dangerous accusations of anti-Semitism? And recognize the harm caused by their rush to embrace such fabrications and deceptions?