CJPME  CALLS  ON CANADA TO  PUSH  FOR  IMPLEMENTATION  OF  AMNESTY  INTERNATIONAL  RECOMMENDATIONS  ON  PALESTINE / ISRAEL

MONTREAL, June 13 / – As recommended by Amnesty International in its June 2007 report “Enduring Occupation”, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) calls on Canada to:

• Support the deployment of an international human rights monitoring mechanism across the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel to monitor compliance with international law. This should be backed up with a commitment to investigate and prosecute those who commit war crimes or other crimes under international law,
• Ensure accountability of both parties (Israeli and Palestinian), in compliance with their obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law, and,
• Ensure that Israel as the occupying power fulfils its obligation to provide for the protection and welfare of the Palestinian population, and refrains from imposing sanctions that negatively affect the provision of humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian population.
• Refrain itself (i.e. Canada ) from imposing sanctions that negatively affect the provision of humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian population and take immediate steps to minimize the adverse impact on human rights of its suspension of funding.

Amnesty International UK Director Kate Allen said, “ Israel 's quite legitimate security concerns are no excuse for blatant violations of international law, nor the mistreatment of thousands of Palestinians in a massive program of collective punishment…  The Palestinian economy has virtually collapsed under the weight of harsh restrictions by Israel .  This has only fuelled despair and poverty among a young and increasingly radicalized Palestinian population.”

Below is a summary of main recommendations made by Amnesty International.  These recommendations were made “…in light of the devastating impact on Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) of Israel's policy of closures, blockades and the building of the fence/wall, as well as Israel's flagrant disregard for international human rights and humanitarian law.”

To the Israeli government:

• End the regime of closures in its current form, as well as other forms of restrictions on freedom of movement of people and goods, that result in collective punishment.
• Stop the construction of the fence/wall inside the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which results in unlawful restrictions on the right to free movement of Palestinians and the arbitrary destruction or seizure of their homes and property, and which undermines other rights, including the rights to adequate housing, to work, to an adequate standard of living and to respect for family life.
• Immediately stop construction or expansion of Israeli settlements and related infrastructure in the OPT as a first step to removing Israeli civilians living in such settlements in the OPT.
• Ensure that Israeli forces protect Palestinian civilians and their property against violence by Israeli settlers.
• Ensure proper investigation of alleged violations by Israeli forces, and bring to justice anyone found responsible in fair trials.

To Palestinian armed groups:

• End attacks on civilians and other abuses of international humanitarian law, whether in the OPT or inside Israel .

To the Palestinian Authority:

• Take effective measures to prevent attacks on Israeli civilians by Palestinian armed groups and bring to justice those responsible for such attacks.

To the International Community:

• Deploy an effective international human rights monitoring mechanism across Israel and the OPT.
• Ensure accountability of both parties, in compliance with their obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law.
• Ensure that any peace process includes concrete provisions that address fundamental human rights issues at the heart of the conflict.
• States parties to the Geneva Conventions must uphold their obligation under Article 1 of the Fourth Geneva Convention to “respect and ensure respect for” the Convention, including by prosecuting grave breaches under Article 147.
• Ensure that Israel as the occupying power fulfils its obligation to provide for the protection and welfare of the Palestinian population, and refrain from imposing sanctions that negatively affect the provision of humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian population. The international community and donor states providing humanitarian assistance to the PA, notably the USA and EU countries, must take immediate steps to minimize the adverse impact on human rights of their suspension of funding. They must ensure that emergency assistance essential to fulfilling fundamental human rights is never used as a bargaining tool to further political goals.

Amnesty International's press release can be found at:

http://www.amnesty.org.uk/news_details.asp?NewsID=17362

Read a copy of the report at:

Enduring Occupation (PDF, 2.61 MB)

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About CJPME

CJPME is a pan-Canadian grassroots advocacy organization uniting Canadians of all backgrounds who believe in justice, peace and security for all people in the Middle East . CJPME seeks to positively influence Canadian foreign policy in the Middle East and Canadian media coverage of the events and peoples of the region. CJPME values Canada's historical role as a neutral broker in the Middle East, and wants to promote better understanding among Canadians of Middle Eastern issues and dynamics .

For more information, please contact:

Contact: Rula Odeh

Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East

Telephone: (514) 697-4090

www.cjpme.ca