Category: CPA Statements

VOTE FOR JUSTICE
VOTE FOR PALESTINE

We, in the Canada Palestine Association, call on all Palestinian and Arab-Canadians, Moslem and Arab Christian-Canadians, and all our supporters, to cast a vote for justice for the Palestinian people by voting for the New Democratic Party (NDP) in the next federal election. The NDP is the only party that is supporting the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. At the same time we will be casting a protest vote against the Liberal and Alliance Parties, who are unconditionally supporting Israeli occupation and aggression against the Arab people. The Liberal Party (the party currently in power)

This party is responsible for the biased Canadian position in favor of Israel ever since the UN Partition Plan was passed in 1947. The main objective of the Partition Plan was the creation of the “Jewish state”. Lester Pearson, “the Balfour of Canada” (as the Zionists called him), played “ an active role in securing its passage”, according to a Canadian Senate report.

“Canada’s Position on Key Issues”, which was issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade on Dec. 1996, is clearly pro-Israel and unconditionally concerned only with “the security, well-being and rights of Israel as a legitimate, independent state”. When it comes to the legitimate rights of the Palestinians, including their rights to self-determination, the right to statehood, their right to return and their right for freedom from occupation, these are conditional on the acceptance of Israel to any of these rights. It gives Israel a VETO power on these internationally recognized rights. Since Canada voted with UN Security Council 1322, the well financed and organized Zionist organizations have crudely threatened and blackmailed the Canadian government into maintaining a policy of serving Israeli interests and not the Canadian peoples’ interests. Already, Canada has voted against a UN Human Rights Commission resolution denouncing Israeli actions as war crimes and crimes against humanity. Canada also abstained from a UN General Assembly motion denouncing Israel for using excessive force, and abstained on a UN Third Committee motion, which reaffirmed the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, and called for this right to not be subject to any veto. All these motions were passed overwhelmingly.

The Canadian Prime Minister met with the Zionist organizations on October 17, 2000 and gave them a “direct link right to the Prime Minister’s Office”, according to the “Canadian Jewish News”(CJN, Oct. 26, 2000). The national chair of the Canada-Israel Committee, Mr. Joseph Wilder, commented on this direct link as a “’most unusual’ but also ‘a major step’ that could help avert problems in the future.” The CJN reported the PM as telling the Zionist delegation “I want to help you”, adding that he will review Canadian aid to UNRWA “to ensure funds are being used as intended”. The PM’s implication of financial blackmail to the Palestinian PEOPLE was quite clear.

The PM on Nov.2, 2000, issued a statement following the car-bombing in Jerusalem, stating “All Canadians join me in expressing our revulsion at the cowardly and vicious act of terror perpetuated today in (J)erusalem.” However, the Prime Minister did not express his revulsion, in the name of ALL Canadians, at the indiscriminate use of Israeli tanks and helicopter gun ships against centers of civilian population. He did not express his revulsion at Israel for carrying out the most cowardly acts against Palestinian children including killing, torture and ill-treatment (see Amnesty International, Nov.10, 2000, “Mass Arrests and Police Brutality”). We did not see his indignation at the indiscriminate acts of terror perpetuated on a regular basis by the illegal Jewish settlers who live on stolen Palestinian lands in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention. We did not see his revulsion at Israeli troops killing and injuring medical personnel, hindering them from carrying out their humanitarian work, and shooting at and destroying many of their ambulances. We did not see him condemn the Israeli death squads. We did not see his revulsion at 33 years of brutal Israeli occupation of Arab lands. Does the PM really think that Jewish Israeli life is worth more than Arab Israeli and Palestinian life? For the PM to be credible and balanced, he should not have such double standards.

In a letter to the Canadian Zionist leaders dated Nov.3, and released by the PM’s office on Nov.6, the Prime Minister and tells them; ”We regret that Canada’s vote on UN Security Council Resolution 1322 has added to (your) distress and frustration”, and adds “Our commitment to Israel is longstanding and will remain a pillar of Canada’s policy in the Middle East.” Then he states how “Canada has opposed what we felt to be a grossly unbalanced resolution (#S-5/1) at the Commission on Human Rights in Geneva. And we would not support a recent UN General Assembly Resolution (#A/ES-10/L.6) because it represented an unhelpful initiative in our collective efforts to move away from violence (sic) and back toward negotiations. ”The prime minister, in this same letter, also endorses old, tired Zionist myths, and goes on at great length as to how the Canadian government understands the “frustration expressed that the unprecedented risks taken and courageous compromises (sic) offered by the Israeli government in pursuit of peace have not been reciprocated.” Does the PM and his government want the Palestinian people to compromise further on the scant 22% (the West Bank and Gaza) of historic Palestine that they have already agreed to, which also is just 50% of what the Partition Plan gave the Palestinian state in 1947? This is the optimum in absurdity!!! Again in this same letter, he shows his government and his party’s true faces when they “express deep and understandable concern about the impact of the renewed bloodshed on the security of Israel.” Notice the only concern here is for Israel. As if it is the Palestinians who are occupying Israel, as if the Palestinians are putting Israeli towns and communities under siege, and as if it is the Palestinians who are building illegal settlements, confiscating properties and demolishing houses.

The Liberal party’s response to our recent election questionnaire was patronizing and an insult to our intelligence. It did not answer any of our questions directly except for question # 7 relating to the sanctions on Iraq. They stated, “our government believes that sanctions must be targeted to impair operations of the offender while avoiding negative humanitarian impacts. Improving the effectiveness of sanctions was an integral part of our agenda during Canada’s Presidency of the United Nations Security Council in April 2000.” The Liberal Party is still defending these genocidal sanctions against the people of Iraq, they not only want to maintain these sanctions, they want to “improve” their effectiveness and “impair” the civil society in Iraq. They are callously disregarding the “humanitarian impact” of these sanctions on the Iraqi people, which have resulted in the mass genocide of one and a half million Iraqis, half of those children.
The Canadian Alliance (the official opposition)

The Canadian Alliance issued a press release on Oct. 9, 2000, which criticized the Canadian government for voting with UN Security Council Resolution 1322. “I am disappointed that the Chretien government appears to be openly taking sides in this crisis by passing Resolution 1322,” said Mr. Stockwell Day, the opposition leader. “The resolution is clearly slanted with an anti-Israel bias” he added, and then concluded, “Israelis and Palestinians (sic) need to trust Security Council members like Canada to fairly assess the situation in the Middle East. By supporting resolution 1322 Canada risks eroding that trust”. It is clear to us that the only “fair assessment” Mr. Day is concerned with is one slanted with a pro-Israeli bias. In the same release, the Opposition Foreign Affairs critic Monte Solberg stated “the resolution itself is unfair in referring to the holy site in question only as Al-Haram Al Sharif, as it is known by Muslims and not also as the Temple Mount, as it is known by Jews. The Canadian government has made a grave error in supporting this unjust resolution.” Why should Mr. Solberg care about the name of “the holy site in question”? And is it “in question”? For Mr. Solberg’s information, Al-Haram Al Sharif is in occupied territory, part of east Jerusalem which was occupied in 1967 and covered by UN Security Council Resolution 242.

According to the Oct.26/00 report by the Canadian Jewish News, a meeting between Canadian Zionist leaders and Stockwell Day “was a pretty straightforward, simple meeting where he expressed support and we thanked him for it on behalf of the Jewish community”. Mr. Wilder (Canada Israel Cmte.) said Day “announced firmly right off the bat that he was not in favor of any votes contrary to Israel. He was critical of the government for its vote. He made a point of saying that he stands with Israel on a matter of principle, not a matter of politics, and that his support is steadfast and constant.” This quote is quite clear and we will leave the principles and the politics of Mr. Day to your judgment.

MORE ROYAL THAN THE KING!!

These two parties have proven beyond any doubt that they are more loyal to Israel than former Israeli prime ministers, let alone the Israeli peace camp. They are even competing to be more loyal than Canadian Zionists. For example, on Nov.9, 2000, the Israeli paper Ma’ariv reported that former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres (now Israeli Regional Cooperation Minister) “was angered that the IDF continued to shoot in the territories and mainly over Israel’s decision to surround Palestinian villages.” He told Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami at a security cabinet meeting; “Why do you continue the use of sieges? Why can’t we have even one day without funerals?”

It is also interesting to note Ben-Ami’s response: “We must have red lines. A forgiving attitude will bring us back to the ’67 borders.” And on Nov. 10, 2000, the Zionist paper, the “Western Jewish Bulletin” in its editorial “Israel needs a new cast” stated, “Israel is losing the war of words yet again. Since the start of the current troubles, bundles of Israeli spokespersons, speakers and advisors have been taking turns at making jumbled statements on Israel’s striving to live securely. Yet, Israel’s information campaign is getting more confused and confusing.” It seems to us that the only ones who are not confused are Mr. Chretien and Mr. Day. The editorial went on to say, “… Israel’s various speakers appear at times as grim white men – mostly security types and power lawyers – mumbling monotonic vague statements that often sound like orders being issued.” It concluded, “In this propaganda war, Israel cannot compete with the Palestinians for the role of the underdog.”

Nonetheless, the leaders of the two major Canadian parties are trying very hard to show Israel as the underdog. They are making a mockery of our electoral system by competing shamelessly to win Zionist campaign financing and votes.

WHY ARE THE TWO MAJOR CANADIAN PARTIES COMPETING IN THEIR BLIND SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL?

Israel Shahak, a Holocaust survivor and an Israeli human rights activist, summed it up this way in his recent book “Open Secrets”, published by Pluto Press in 1997. “Curiously Canada represents a case where influence of its organized Jewish community upon the country’s politics is even more palpable than in the U.S. The effect is that, although Canada’s interests in the Middle East are quite secondary, its dedication to Israel surpasses even that of the U.S.”

Should Canadians at large allow the dictates of a small but influential minority, to shape Canadian foreign policy in a way that is detrimental to the strategic interests of the Canadian people? Should we allow our government to support aggression, occupation and human rights abuses? Should we allow politicians to sell themselves to the highest bidder? Is this democratic, principled, honest or decent?

WHY SHOULD WE VOTE NDP?

Since the start of the Intifadah, the NDP, represented by Svend Robinson, their foreign affairs spokesperson, courageously criticized both Israeli brutality and Canadian government complicity with Israel.

Two days before UN Security Council Resolution 1322 was passed, Mr. Robinson issued a statement on Oct.5, 2000, condemning the weak response of the Canadian government: “Canada must condemn the excessive use of force by Israeli security forces. The government should also join calls for an international investigation into events leading up to and following Sharon’s irresponsible provocation.” He concluded by saying, “ Prime Minister Jean Chretien has been appallingly silent. He must speak out to condemn this violence and urge the Israeli government to respond to Palestinians concerns about the status of Jerusalem and the right of return for Palestinian refugees.”
On Oct.13, 2000, Mr. Robinson demanded, as the NDP International Affairs spokesperson, that an emergency meeting of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade be held with Minister Lloyd Axworthy regarding the escalating crisis in the Middle East. He stated in his letter to the committee’s chair Bill Graham, “I commend the decision of our government to support UN Resolution 1322 in the Council. I believe that Canada should be urging immediate United Nations involvement in the Occupied territories, to help put an end to the violence and bloodshed which has plagued innocent victims, both Israelis and, in much larger numbers, Palestinians. We should also be supporting the call by Amnesty International and others for an independent international inquiry into the recent events which have led to the loss of life.”

On Oct. 18, 2000, in the debates of the House of Commons, Mr. Robinson asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs a very specific question, “… can the minister explain to the house why Canada shamefully abstained on the vote to call a special session of the UN commission on human rights into the situation in the Middle East?” Mr. Axworthy replied by giving an irrelevant preamble and then said “I spoke yesterday to Syrian and Lebanese representatives to talk about the kidnapping of the Israeli soldiers and to see if we could have some return in those areas. We met with the Israeli envoy today to talk particularly about how we can assist as Canadians in trying to restore peace. This is the important thing.” Mr. Axworthy has sent the message that the only thing that is important to him and his government is freeing Israeli soldiers, not Palestinian lives nor Palestinian human rights.

In response to our election questionnaire, Mr. Robinson stated; “Briefly, let me say how moved I was by Dr. Gabor Mate’s piece in the Globe and Mail at the beginning of this month. As he so eloquently writes, there can be no true, lasting peace without justice. I believe that peace must encompass both a Palestinian State and the State of Israel, living in mutual security. Israel must withdraw from the territory illegally occupied since 1967, as the UN has noted on countless occasions. Jerusalem is sacred to both nations, and I believe that this must be represented in any final peace settlement. I despair for the future of the region if Ariel Sharon, the author of Sabra and Shatilla, is invited to play a significant role in the Israeli government. We have long supported the right of return as well. Finally, I support Resolution 1322, and believe that an international presence in the occupied territories, and a full independent inquiry into the recent deaths, are both urgently needed. You know our position on the immoral sanctions on Iraq…they should be immediately lifted.”
Svend Robinson visited Iraq in January this year, and exposed the horrific impact of sanctions on the Iraqi people. He called them genocidal, and also successfully lobbied the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs to recommend to the government to withdraw from the sanctions regime, a recommendation that was obviously ignored.

It is also timely to recognize the tireless and principled efforts of solidarity by Libby Davis, NDP MP from East Vancouver, on behalf of the Palestinian people. She chaired the International Day of Solidarity meeting with the Palestinian people in Vancouver last year, and in fact has been a long- standing supporter ever since she was a Vancouver City Councilor. Among many other solidarity gestures, she condemned Israeli aggression on Lebanon in 1982, and chaired a meeting for Dr. Fathi Arafat when he visited Vancouver in the late 1980s.

A PRINCIPLED VOTE — A PROTEST VOTE

Supporting the NDP in the next election is a principled choice in all of the Canadian provinces. Some Arab voices have called for a protest vote in Quebec by supporting the Bloc Quebecois, and the community there should decide on the best possible strategy. However, we should not waste our votes on individual Liberal or Alliance candidates, even if they support us. A vote for these candidates is a vote for their party and a vote of confidence in their leaders. We must make our voices heard. Let us send the Liberal and the Alliance parties a protest message at the ballot box. LET US VOTE AGAINST THE TWO MAIN PARTIES AND DENY THEM A MAJORITY GOVERNMENT. We should not vote for a lesser evil as some apologists are spouting; a vote for a lesser evil is a vote for evil nonetheless. We are not as well financed as the Zionists, or as organized. Still, we can count on the support of the decent majority of the Canadian people, who eventually, once they are aware of our just cause, will stop this infamy. We must be united in our actions and responses. Let us be principled and not fall into the political patronage quagmire. Let us be true to our beliefs and to what we know is right.

By Hanna Kawas. A response to Arab and Moslem organizations in the U.S. who called for a block vote for George W. Bush during the last U.S. elections. Reply to cprr-news: Make Your Voice Heard in U.S. Elections! (see below)

We are outraged at your “analysis” and implied support for George Bush. The U.S. Republican platform is not any different from the Democrats in their unequivocal support for Israeli aggression and expansion (see ADC Election Update). For example, the Republican platform states on Jerusalem: “The United States has a moral and legal obligation to maintain its Embassy in Jerusalem.”

We are even more outraged at the initiators of this Republican endorsement. How could any Palestinian, Arab or Moslem endorse a presidential candidate that supports the perpetuation of Israeli occupation ? How could any pro-Palestinian person support the Party that under the leadership of George Bush Sr. reversed the historic UN resolution equating “Zionism with Racism” and set in motion the process that has murdered one million and a half Iraqi people, almost half of them children? How can any good Moslem or Christian accept the annexation of East Jerusalem? What human being would support the unequivocal US support to Israel while Palestinian blood is still flowing??? How could we support the US OIL interests in their quest to continue their control of the Middle East, its people and its natural resources??? We cannot comprehend the LOGIC behind such a shameful endorsement!!! Does Saudi money play a role in such a disgraceful position? Are we all carried away with election hysteria? How will we look our progressive supporters in the face, especially those who stood with us (at a cost to themselves) on issues of principle, when we take such an unprincipled position???

We are at a loss!!!

For the first time in US history, there is a chance to cast a bloc vote for our “hopes and dreams”, for a candidate who opposes Israeli occupation and aggression, for a progressive member of our own community, Ralph Nader, who made us all proud with his humanist positions locally and internationally.

And what do we do???

WE ARE SHOOTING OURSELVES IN THE HEART!!! We regret that we cannot be part of this disappointing and depressing STUPIDITY. Please take us off you lists, We will support the right of return of the Palestinian people in our own ways. Even the Arafat way looks more principled and less dangerous.

History will be our witness.

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October 2000- Council for Palestinian Restitution and Repatriation (CPPR): Make Your Voice Heard in Coming U.S. Elections!

Make your voice heard! Help the CPRR Right of Return Campaign! On Election Day, please wear a sticker with the words “Right of Return for Palestinians!” or “I vote for the Palestinian Right to Return to their Homes!”

For this Election Day, purchase a roll of blank stickers and write the sentence on them or have your children write them out with crayons. Wear one and distribute as many as you can to your friends and colleagues. Have students and volunteers distribute these at voting booths. Let everyone know that American citizens stand for justice for the Palestinians.

Please take with you a copy of the CPRR Right of Return Petition — which you can print out from CPRR’s website — and have as many people sign it as you can, then mail it back to CPRR. Students, volunteers, please take with you the petition, set a table outside voting centers and ask people to sign it. Make a difference this year-VOTE!

CPRR Analysis: A Historic Event in U.S. Politics. Thanks to the perseverent and gentle coaching by American politicians like Andrew Killgore and Richard Curtiss, Muslim parties are finally surging into American politics. With the Muslim American parties agreeing on a single candidate, Muslim and Arab Americans can now make a difference in a swing election. Their vote becomes crucial to the candidates–and therefore their concerns (including Jerusalem and justice in the Middle East) will henceforth be taken into account. As a result of the Muslim bloc endorsement of George W. Bush, candidates Gore and Lieberman have started reaching out to Arab and Muslim Americans. On Friday October 27 the Washington Post ran an article titled: “Lieberman ‘Hurt’ by Arab American Criticism”. On Monday October 30, Farhan Memon wrote in a Washington Post editorial: “Mrs. Clinton’s rejection of Muslim campaign donations may be politically expedient in New York, but politicians in other parts of the country are going to have to come to terms with America’s Islamic reality. Today, at 6 million residents, there are more Muslims in the United States than Jews. With increased immigration and higher birthrates, the domestic Muslim population will continue to grow. This undoubtedly will have an effect in Muslim-heavy states such as Michigan, where in close races Muslims voting as a bloc can help decide the outcome. Message to politicians: Ignore us at your own peril.” Both George W. Bush and Al Gore have intensified their campaigning with American Arab and Muslim communities. But this of course can happen only because the candidates now perceive that the Muslim and Arab vote is not divided and can therefore affect the outcome of the election. By creating a bloc vote, Muslim and Arab Americans can finally be represented and gain the attention of both parties and all future candidates.

From the News Room of the Washington Report:
(October 23, 2000): We thought the October/November special election issue of the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs would be our last chance to give readers the facts before the Nov. 7 presidential election. However, as the “peace process” falls apart and Israeli snipers fire live bullets at demonstrating youngsters and use American-made or -funded weapons against Palestinian civilians, we realized we had to seize this opportunity to inform you of some historic good news.

Oct. 23, 2000 marked the birth of an American bloc vote for peace and justice in the Middle East – after a gestation period of many years and the hard labor of many brave souls. The Washington Report is proud of its role in encouraging Muslim- and Arab-American leaders and readers to galvanize their communities for a bloc vote at this crucial time. They have succeeded in identifying an issue and uniting to deliver a bloc vote for a presidential candidate, putting themselves on the map as full participants in the American political process.

At an Oct. 23 press conference in Washington, DC, George W. Bush was endorsed for president by national and local Muslim-American leaders representing the American Muslim Political Coordinating Council Political Action Committee (AMPCC-PAC). AMPCC is a member coalition of the four major American Muslim political organizations: the American Muslim Council (AMC), the American Muslim Alliance (AMA), the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), and the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC).
The AMPCC-PAC endorsement was based on: The level of accessibility provided by the candidate to the American-Muslim community. The candidate’s track record, specifically on civil rights issues. Input from community groups via surveys, straw polls, and town hall meetings. “Governor Bush took the initiative to meet with local and national representatives of the Muslim community”, said AMA chairman and AMPCC-PAC director Dr. Agha Saeed. “He also promised to address Muslim concerns” on domestic and foreign policy issues. As Muslims vote in a unified bloc, they may decide who is elected president in November. Candidates are sure to take notice and begin to listen to Muslim concerns.

AMC president and AMPCC-PAC member Dr. Yahya Basha cited Governor Bush’s elevated level of concern in regard to secret evidence and airport profiling and bringing it to the national political debate.

Despite numerous requests, neither Vice President Al Gore nor his election staff would meet with American Muslim leaders. This perplexed MPAC national director Salam Al-Marayati, who noted that President Bill Clinton had set a precedent for accessibility for Muslims. Moments before the bloc vote announcement, Gore’s campaign headquarters and the Democratic National Committee were on the phone, asking AMPCC to delay its endorsement.

Finally, just as the cameras began to roll, the bloc vote was getting the attention of American politicians. For the first time in U.S. history, American Muslims, and most Arab Americans, will be voting as a bloc in a race so tight they can make a difference in key states. There are an estimated six to eight million Muslims and an additional two million Christian Arab Americans in the United States today. With large concentrations in key battleground states such as California, Illinois and Michigan, American Muslims and Arab Americans represent a swing vote that candidates must acknowledge. By voting as a bloc, they can make their voice heard and, at the same time, give a great gift to their fellow Americans: the gift of a principled Middle East policy in the interest of America, not of Israel.

What does the birth of the bloc vote have to do with Palestinian children like 12-year-old Mohammed Al-Durra dying in the streets in Israeli-occupied Palestine? With the threat of even greater bloodshed looming, American lawmakers, including the president, may start listening to the voice of Muslim- and Arab-Americans and to citizens of conscience who care about the Middle East, if they have some political clout. This bloc vote will send a message to American leaders that this nation’s Middle East policy must become even-handed for the first time in half a century.

When you go to the polls on Nov. 7, or when you demonstrate in solidarity with Palestinians, carry a sign or wear a badge or sticker people will notice, such as, “Muslims Vote,” “Peace for Palestine,” or “End Aid to Israel.”

And Make a Difference This Year, Vote!

CANADA PALESTINE ASSOCIATION
BOX 3255, VANCOUVER, BC CANADA V6B 3X9
Fax: 604-588-7983

QUESTIONNAIRE ELECTION 2000
TO: NATIONALPARTYHEADQUARTERS

October 24, 2000

The dehumanization process that is now taking place in Canada, against the Arabs in general and the Palestinians in specific, greatly alarms us in the Palestinian-Canadian community. The official government pro-Israeli positions coupled by vicious media distortions of historic facts leaves us with a sense of frustration and anger. We feel that the blind, unconditional and longstanding Canadian government support to Israel is at the heart of this problem. We also feel that Canada should play a fair and humane role to rectify the injustices (to which Canada was party) against the Palestinian people. This is not only in the interest of peace in the Middle East, but also in the strategic interests of the Canadian people.

We are asking the major Canadian parties to answer the following questions of utmost concern to the Palestinian community. We will publicize these answers to our community through any and all available media. We are asking you to kindly respond to this questionnaire by Nov.7, 2000, by email hkawas@msn.com or by fax 604-588-7983.

1. The security of Israel is the first point in “Canada’s Position on Key Issues”, referring to it as “a fundamental aspect of the policy of successive Canadian governments since the foundation of the state of Israel in 1948”. The security of Israel has never been in doubt, it has one of the strongest armies in the world with “seven nuclear installations and as many as 200 nuclear weapons, according to an analysis of satellite photos by Jane’s Intelligence Review”(The Chicago Tribune, Nov.19/1994). The security of the Palestinian people, the indigenous people, is never mentioned in this Canadian document issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Dec. 1996. Would your party if elected adopt a more balanced policy towards the security of peoples in the region and what steps would you take to rectify the current imbalance?
2. If elected, would your government ask for the immediate and unconditional end of 33 years of Israeli occupation of all Arab lands in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions 242and 338?
3. After 51 years of Canada recognizing Israel as a state and after seven years of the PLO recognizing Israel’s right to exist, Canada still does not recognize Palestine as a country, a nation nor as a state. Would you immediately recognize Palestine as a country, a nation and as a state without preconditions?
4. While publicly Canada declares that Jewish settlements are “contrary to international law”, it is concretely supporting Israeli occupation by giving tax deductible status to the “Jewish National Fund”, which helps in supporting the illegal settlements in the occupied territories including Jerusalem according to the Israeli group “Peace Now”. Canada gives tax deductions to many other Israeli projects, including the infamous “Canada Park” which stands on the rubble of three Palestinian towns occupied in1967.
5. Canada also does not require the screening of Israeli products made in the illegal Jewish settlements; these products enjoy the benefits of the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement. Will you, if you form the next government, take steps to halt these contradictory practices that only serve to entrench Israeli occupation?
6. Canada recently voted for UN Security Council resolution 1322 which called on Israel “to abide scrupulously by its legal obligations and its responsibilities under the Forth Geneva Convention”. Before the ink dried on this resolution, Canada reneged on its commitment by abstaining on a further UN resolution calling for the convening of a special session of the UN Commission on Human Rights. Would your party commit Canada to implement international laws especially the Forth Geneva Convention relative to the protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, as it applies to Israeli practices in the Palestinian occupied territories?
7. Canada, as the chair of Refugee Working Group (RWG), refused to consider UN General Assembly Resolution 194(111) of Dec. 11, 1948 as the basis for solving the Palestinian refugee problem, which is the core of reaching any just peace in the Middle East. Would your government work to implement UN resolutions against Israel with the same vigor and speed shown to implement UN resolutions against Iraq and Yugoslavia, and change the focus of Canada from “resettlement” of the Palestinian refugees to return of the Palestinian people to their homeland?
8. One and half million Iraqis, around half of them children, have been annihilated due to cruel genocidal sanctions. Would your government stop being part of this infamy and call for lifting of all economic sanctions against the Iraqi people?
9. The Arab and the Palestinian-Canadian communities are the subject of racist discrimination by many federal government departments, including Immigration, CSIS and Customs. Many of us have been harassed, intimidated and denied basic human rights and compassion. Would your government instruct all government departments and institutions to stop the racial profiling and racist practices against our communities and take steps to ensure compliance?

Thank you,
Hanna Kawas,
Chairperson, Canada Palestine Association

Dear Mr. Day:

We were outraged at the “Alliance” statement issued in your name and the name of the opposition Foreign Affairs critic Monte Solberg on Oct. 9, 2000, criticizing the Canadian Government for voting with UN Security Council Resolution 1322. Resolution 1322 condemned the “acts of violence, especially the excessive use of force against Palestinians, resulting in injury and loss of human life” during the last two weeks.

It seems to us, Mr. Day, that you see the situation through Israeli goggles. We did not hear your concern about the many Israeli violations of the “peace” agreements or breaking the many deadlines, the latest being Sep.13, 2000. We did not hear your concern about the many Israeli violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention as an occupying power. We did not see your indignation at the refusal of Israel to implement the hundreds of UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions for the past 53 years, including resolutions 194 and 242.

It seems to us that ignorance of the situation is not behind such a press release. Your Deputy Critic for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Gurmant Grewal, visited Israel / Palestine and made balanced statements about the plight of the Palestinian people. So if it is not ignorance, then we have to conclude that it is electioneering. If this is so, it is the most immoral kind of electioneering that has NO conscience. Building empires on the skulls of innocent children and the dispossession of a whole nation is not civilized, democratic, ethical nor human.

Mr. Day, we agree with you: “Canada should avoid taking sides and work toward peace.” However, this has not been the case beginning with the 1947 partition plan, where Mr. Lester Pearson played an active role in securing its passage. The Zionists called him the “Balfour of Canada” for his efforts on their behalf. It is enough to look at “Canada’s Position on Key Issues” issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (Dec.1996) to realize that an Israeli pen wrote this paper. The Oct. 3, 2000 “equating the victim with victimizer” statement by the same department shows clearly where this current government stands. Canada always supported Israel concretely and only paid lip service to Palestinian human and national rights.

Mr. Day, the Palestinian people are sick and tired of unimplemented UN resolutions, 1322 is yet another resolution which will become dusty on the shelves of the UN. The Palestinian people are also sick and tired of UN, US and Israeli empty promises and they are also sick and tired of the many manufactured lies. They are sick and tired of being treated as sub humans. And finally they are sick and tired of the hypocrisy of the west led by Washington when it comes to implementing UN resolutions. They are asking why UN resolutions against Israel are not implemented with the same vigor and speed as they are implemented against Iraq and Yugoslavia.

Mr. Day there will only be peace in the Middle East when a JUST solution is reached that recognizes the historic injustices against the Palestinian people, and not a solution that victimizes them more.

In the next federal election we will make sure to vote for a party with a social justice agenda, and for a candidate with conscience and human compassion, and not for a candidate who sells himself / herself to the highest bidder.

Thank you for your consideration,

Truly yours
Hanna Kawas
Information Officer Arab Palestine Association.

c.c. Prime Minister Jean Chrietien
Palestine representative to Canada Dr. Baker Abdel Munem

Since you say you are a “Good Christian”, we enclose two statements by Christian leaders in Palestine who know the historic facts and names.

(1) Letter of Patriarch Michel Sabbah about the actual situation
4-Oct-2000 — EWTN Feature Story

To our brothers, sons and daughters, priests, religious, men and women, and all our faithful.

Brothers and Sisters,

Peace upon you from God our Father, and Jesus Christ our Savior, and may the love of the Holy Spirit fill your hearts and minds. Amen.

We read in the Gospel of Saint Luke about some bloody incidents which took place in the time of our Lord Jesus Christ, as follows: “It was just about this time that some people arrived and told him about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with that of their sacrifices. At this he said to them: Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than any others, that this should have happened to them? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did” (Lk 13:1-3).

The lesson is clear: penitence will save from bloodshed. Penitence means to see God and all God’s children; it means to imitate God in his love and justice in all relations between persons and peoples.

In light of this penitence, we see that the present events which we experience in these days, invite us to raise our prayers to God, and to ask him to enlighten the minds of those who are responsible of our government in this land, and to give also to us light and strength to know how to chose and to make our destiny as we want it to be, in this confused and troubled world, where good is mingled with evil, and in which justice is often lacking in our human society.

The painful and bloody events which we are living today, following the provocation of religious feelings in the Haram As- Sharif (the Noble Mosque) tells one thing: the Palestinian people claims for life and freedom. And he will have life and freedom, sooner or later. We hope it will be sooner than later. Because violence cannot be the guide of life in this Holy Land. Justice is the only guide and symbol. It is high time for every leader in this land to understand that. It is not in vain that the situation came suddenly to this explosion. Those young and old who are offering their lives are not doing it to aggress anybody: they are only defending their holy places, their freedom and their life. Blood today is crying to God claiming for justice and human dignity.

The only way of coming back to quiet times is to go back to the peace talks, and to see how to go back to the situation which was prevailing before 1967. The way of quieting the situation is to understand that Holy Places cannot be touched, and cannot be subject of any bargaining. To dispose soldiers, military cars and even missiles will not bring tranquillity and order, only justice will. And the way of justice was already open in the peace talks, and was on the point to reach its aim: it should be resumed. Enough bloodshed. The people should be given his right to life and to self-determination. The Palestinian State must be born and have stability which allows it to reorganize its own affairs, external and internal. The Holy City should be the city of reconciliation, after installing justice in it: Palestinian Jerusalem should be the capital of Palestine, as West Jerusalem the capital of Israel. And above all that, it should remain the “holy city”, and its holiness protected and respected by its own governors, and by the requirements which its sanctity imposes on the entire international community. We call upon our political leaders Palestinians and Israelis to continue their search of a just peace, and we call upon the international community to help both parties to reach what is just and right according to the international legitimacy. We hope that the leaders of this land, as well as the international community, will understand that: then every one will enjoy tranquility; all the region will have peace, security and tranquility, as no injustice will remain weighing upon the Palestinian people who has so far suffered so much.

Brothers and sisters, for that we pray, and we call upon you to pray and to contribute in reaching tranquil times, for the glory of God and of man in this land which God has blessed. We ask God Almighty to give you light and strength, and to give all the leaders in this land light and strength to do what is right and what is just. For all we pray, for Palestinians and Israelis, for Christians, Moslems and Jews, may God inspire justice and reconciliation in the hearts and minds of all. Amen.

Jerusalem, 2 October 2000.
+ Michel Sabbah Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem

(2) Statement of Their Beatitudes the Patriarchs and Heads of the Christian Communities in Jerusalem
Dated 30 September 2000

“With a resolute Christian faith that is predicated upon the teachings of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and which calls for love, forgiveness and fellowship, We express our deep sorrow at the painful events that occurred at the Haram al-Sharif on midday, 29 September 2000. We offer our sincerest condolences to the whole Palestinian people in general and to the bereaved families in particular, and denounce the aggression on the sanctuary of a holy place in Jerusalem. We consider that such a violation is tantamount to a violation on any and all Christian and Muslim holy sites, and affirm our solidarity with the Palstinian people, Muslims and Christians alike, in defending their fundamental rights of worship and prayer in Jerusalem. In so doing, We also reject any provocation against the feelings of the faithful irrespective of its nature, shape or presence.

We re-affirm hereby our Christian position, as we have done time and again in our previous statements, of the need to ensure the freedom of movement, access, worship and prayer, as much as the need to put an end to violations against all holy places in Jerusalem. We call for the implementation of all relevant and binding resolutions that reflect the principles of international legitimacy, and particularly those related to Jerusalem, in order to secure a comprehensive, just and lasting peace for the peoples of all the three monotheistic religions in the Holy Land.

‘How wonderful it is, how pleasant, for God’s people to live together in harmony!’ Ps 133:1”