February 19, 2006

National Chief Phil Fontaine
Trebla Building
473 Albert Street
Ottawa , ON K1R 5B4

Dear Chief Fontaine,

I would like to express my concerns about the upcoming First Nations' leaders trip to Israel . While understanding and bridge building amongst communities is what makes Canada different from other states, a visit to Israel is not about Canadian communities but about links with a foreign state. Had the CJC's intent been educational only, it would have invited members of First Nations across Canada to attend services in Canadian synagogues. The substitution of Israel for synagogues and therefore for Canadian Jewish communities implies that Israel and Judaism are one and the same. They are not. One is a respected religion, the other is a state that stands in defiance of international and humanitarian law.

You were quoted saying that "Indigenous people in Canada have much in common with the people of Israel , including a respect of the land and their languages. This mission is an excellent opportunity for us to share our values and our traditional ways of life, in the hope of building greater understanding, awareness and respect for our similarities and differences, both at home and abroad". Israel is a settler state, and it is still occupying the land of the native people of Palestine . The values your refer to are not Israel 's values since discrimination exists on the basis of  religion. Israel is a state for Jews everywhere in the world, and not a state for all its citizens equally like western democracies. As to the respect of land, please read the article below where Israeli Jeff Halper explains how Israel has imposed on Palestinian land what he calls “a matrix of control.” ( http://www.icahd.org/eng/ )

It is clear that the intention behind this trip is not to educate but to advocate to a captive audience. As a Native leader, you have first hand knowledge of dispossession, and should beware of those who are responsible for the dispossession and dehumanization of others. Many First Nations activists do make the parallel between their plight and the plight of Palestinians.

As a way to bring some balance to your trip, may I suggest that you include in your program visits to Palestinians in  the occupied territories. I am sure that Sabeel, a Jerusalem ecumenical grassroots center for liberation theology among Palestinian Christians, would be delighted to meet with you. I am copying this letter to Fr. Assaly who represents Canadian Friends of Sabeel in Ottawa . There are other Palestinian and Israeli organizations that could be useful in making your trip more inclusive, fruitful, and educational for all your group. 

Should you decide to visit the occupied territories, you will recognize some practices that indigenous people in North and South America have been subjected to. The confiscation of land by Israel , the assault on traditional Palestinian lifestyle and the destruction of means of sustaining oneself are still current. As amongst First Nations, the unemployment rate amongst Palestinians is extremely high, some 60-70 percent in Gaza and 30-40 percent in the West Bank .

My friend and neighbour tells stories of curfews, of not being able to be on the roads at night - this, in Canada , not so long ago. In the Occupied Palestinians Territories , total curfews are still applied, sometimes for days, and the best motorways and roads are Palestinian-free. They are reserved for Jews only - and for their foreign visitors. As you and your companions are being driven on these roads, please give a thought to the Palestinians who are penned in canton-like areas, denied  basic rights, including their freedom of movement.

Meegwetch for listening to me.

Sincerely,

Bahija Réghaï

Ottawa , Canada

THE KEY TO PEACE: DISMANTLING THE MATRIX OF CONTROL

Article by Jeff Halper, Israeli Committee Against House Demolition (ICAHD)