A National Day
of Action:
36 Years is
Enough
June 5th,
National Day of Action for Canadians
June 5, 2003 is the thirty-sixth anniversary of the Israeli military
occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It has been a year
marred by a sharp escalation in violence directed against Palestinians
civilians and international human rights workers in Occupied
Palestine. Many Canadians are appalled at the gross violations of
human rights taking place but few of us are taking concrete
action. On this anniversary, it is time for a show of force, a
time for concerned Canadians to make our feelings known to political
representatives.
The Canadian government recognizes Palestinians right to
self-determination. Importantly, according to its own policies, it "does
not recognize permanent Israeli control over the territories
occupied in 1967." The government of Canada "opposes all
unilateral actions intended to predetermine the outcome of
negotiations, including the establishment of settlements in the
territories and unilateral moves to annex East Jerusalem and the Golan
Heights." However, the Canadian government is conspicuously
silent as the Israeli government and military actively undermine our
government's
stated position through repeated violations of international law and
UNResolutions. These actions diminish hopes for peace and justice for
all sides.
To all of you, especially those who are aware of the situation but
don't take action, this is the time to support the fundamental human
rights of Palestinians. The situation is increasingly
desperate in Occupied Palestine and we need you to mobilize for June
5th. Mark your calendar, draft a
letter (see below for a sample letter), and set up a meeting with your
MP for this day. We want to flood our representatives with
letters, phone calls, and faxes voicing Canadian opposition to the
occupation.
Please urge your government
representative to call for (sample letter below):
- An immediate end to the Israeli occupation of the 1967
territories in accord with relevant UN Resolutions. An end to the
Israeli governmentpolicies of control and de facto imprisonment of
the Palestinian population. An end to the closures and curfews,
checkpoints and roadblocks that are
strangling the Palestinian economy and civil society, and are
obstructing the provision of education, health care and emergency
services.
- A moratorium on the construction of the Apartheid Wall. An
end to the land theft, home demolitions, destruction and isolation of
olive groves,
agricultural areas and whole villages that are part and parcel of the
construction of the Apartheid Wall. This so-called "security
barrier" is a
unilateral action annexing by force a significant portion of Occupied
Palestine to Israel. It prejudices any proposals for peace, including
the Road Map, and contravenes our government's stated position
concerning the application of international laws to occupying
powers. We urge our government to publicly condemn its
construction and chosen path. It must not be allowed to become a
bargaining chip in negotiations, as that would
reward Israel's ongoing illegal activities.
- A call for immediate deployment by the UN of International
Monitors in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in light of the appalling human
rights situation to afford effective monitoring and the dissemination
of accurate information about the human rights situation in Occupied
Palestine.
- An end to the attacks on civilians and human rights
workers. The policy of state sponsored extra-judicial killings of
perceived foes is reaping untold suffering amongst the civilian
population and must stop. Furthermore, an expression of concern
regarding the widespread dehumanization of Palestinians and those who
support their fundamental human rights is needed. Racist attitudes
manifest on the ground through the illegal practice of collective
punishment. Such punishment is a barrier to peace and
reconciliation. Our government must condemn appalling acts
committed by Israel against Palestinians, like the murder and ill
treatment of civilians, medical workers, journalists, and human rights
workers.
- An end to the construction, expansion and maintenance of illegal
settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Now controlling
roughly half of Occupied Palestine including a majority of the resource
rich areas, these illegal colonial settlers are given economic
incentives to colonize and steal Palestinian land by the government of
Israel and are supported and guarded by the Israeli Occupation
Forces. This theft of land and resources must cease and the
land must be returned to Palestinians. The government of Canada must
unequivocally call for the removal of these colonial settlements. Their
dismantling should not be cynically deemed a "concession" in any peace
settlement, as their existence is illegal and by making them a
bargaining chip they become an incentive for further ethnic cleansing
and genocide of Palestinians should talks break down.
- Formal recognition of the unconditional right of return for all
Palestinian refugees, including full political, legal and economic
equality for refugees from within the 1948 territories.
- In the event that the Government of Israel continues to
demonstrate a lack of commitment to a negotiated settlement of the
Israeli/Palestinian conflict, South Africa style sanctions must be
imposed.
Sample Letter:
Dear Honourable Member,
Today, June 5th, marks the thirty-sixth anniversary of the Israeli
military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. For
Palestinians it has been a
year of profound suffering due to checkpoints, curfews, roadblocks and,
Israel's latest unilateral assault on civilians being carried out deep
inside Occupied Palestine, the construction of the Apartheid Wall.
It has been a year of fear and frustration due to escalating attacks by
Israeli Occupation forces on Palestinian civilians in a climate of
impunity. Measures taken by the Israeli government are strangling the
Palestinian economy and civil society, and obstructing the provision of
education, health care and emergency services in direct contravention
of international law and the stated position of the Government of
Canada.
It is essential that you, as an elected representative, support the
fundamental human rights of Palestinians and oppose the ongoing Israeli
Occupation. The Israeli occupation forces must be pressured
to withdraw from lands occupied in 1967 and illegal Israeli settlements
must be dismantled immediately. A moratorium must be declared on the
construction of the Apartheid Wall - a structure that will dwarf the
Berlin Wall whose construction the UN recently referred to as "creeping
annexation". The ongoing attacks committed by Israeli soldiers and
settlers against Palestinian non-combatants and the widespread ill
treatment and killings of medical workers, journalists, and human rights
workers must be condemned and those guilty of crimes brought to
justice. Steps must be taken to deploy International Monitors in
Occupied Palestine in order to produce and disseminate accurate
information on the human rights situation.
At a policy level, sincere efforts to bring about a just resolution to
the Israeli/Palestinian conflict must be supported, but callous ploys to
further surrender the fundamental rights of Palestinians will surely
fail and must be roundly condemned. By making the dismantling of
illegal settlements
and other blatantly illegal measures "bargaining chips" in
negotiations, negotiating players are rewarding illegal actions and
allowing the government of Israel to reframe the debate through the use
of overwhelming military force. The government of Canada should
not sanction the fourth largest military in the world, a nation with a
powerful array of weapons of mass destruction, to overpower a people
without an army through naked military aggression in contravention of
international law and basic morality. In the event that the
government of Israel continues to reject relevant UN resolutions and
international law, Canada must impose South Africa-style sanctions in
effort to show its sincere commitment to a just peace.
Your efforts in word and in deed in defense of fundamental human rights
and the right to self-determination for Palestinians on this anniversary
and
everyday are appreciated. Vigilance and courage are needed for
global peace, security and justice. Thanks for your attention and
commitment to this important issue.
Sincerely,
Your name
Contacts:
Government of Canada
Minister of Foreign Affairs, The Hon. Bill Graham
House of Commons, Ottawa ON K1A 0A6
Fax: 613-996-3443
Phone: (613) 995-1851
Grahab@parl.gc.ca
Prime Minister, The Right Hon. Jean Chrétien
Fax: (613) 941-6900
Phone:(613) 992-4211
pm@pm.gc.ca
House of Commons, Parliament Buildings,
Ottawa ON K1A 0A6,
phone, fax and email MPs by following the links at www.parl.gc.ca
United Nations:
Kofi Annan
Secretary General
United Nations
New York, NY 10017 USA
Fax: 212-963-4879
Phone: 212-963-5012
Email: ecu@un.org
Israeli Representative in Canada:
Ambassador Haim Divon, Embassy of Israel,
50 O'Connor Street Suite 1005,
Ottawa ON K1P 6L2,
Phone: 613-567-6450
Fax: 613-237-8865
Other ideas of actions you can take
on June 5:
- Write an email or fax or mail a letter to the UN
- Write a letter to your local paper
- Call on your local city council to pass a resolution opposing the
occupation and supporting economic sanctions against Israel (like those
imposed on the South African apartheid regime)
- join or organize demonstrations, vigils, and actions opposing the
occupation on or around that date
- set up teach-ins and educate yourself and your community about
the occupation
Who is organizing this action:
The Middle East Committee of United for Peace and Justice has called on
Palestinian-based, Israeli and international peace groups to support a
day of action on June 5th in recognition of the anniversary of the
occupation.
Supporters include the Peace and Justice Studies Association (PJSA),
the International Women's Peace Service (IWPS), and the International
Solidarity Movement (ISM).
We seek and welcome endorsements by all groups and individuals that
support our points of unity. We also welcome further support in
our efforts
for peace and justice in Palestine. If you are interested in joining
your local ISM chapter or Palestinian solidarity group, please contact
them directly
(see information below).
For more information contact:
In Canada:
ISM-Vancouver
www.ism-vancouver.org
info@ism-vancouver.org
ISM-Canada
www.ismcanada.org
montreal@ismcanada.org
ISM press office (Beit Sahour, Palestine) 972-2-277-4602
International:
www.peacejusticestudies.org/palestine.php
or
Starhawk at stella@mcn.org
www.starhawk.org
Simona Sharoni at sharonis@evergreen.edu
www.palsolidarity.org
info@palsolidarity.org
For a map of the wall, see
www.gush-shalom.org/thewall/index.html