January 8, 2009

Letter to Stephen Harper regarding Gaza signed be 9 London Ontario organizations

The Right Honourable Stephen Harper
Prime Minister of Canada
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6

The Honourable Lawrence Cannon
Minister of Foreign Affairs
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6

Re: Canada's Silence – Israel's Ongoing Assault on Gaza

Dear Sirs:

As representatives of a number of community organizations in London, Ontario, we are writing you to protest your government's silence in the face of the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza. As we write, over 700 Palestinians have been killed and several thousand wounded, many of them civilians, by Israel's military attacks over the past 12 days. Food is running low, electricity and power have largely stopped, water is scarce, sewage is overflowing, the hospitals have run out of essential medical supplies, and the territory's meager infrastructure is being systemically destroyed.

According to many human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Al-Haq and B'Tselem, many of the Israeli military attacks have targeted civilian homes and institutions, such as mosques, schools, universities, police stations and prisons. Under international and Canadian law, these attacks, and the resulting civilian causalities, constitute war crimes. Even before this latest conflict, Israel had imposed an 18 month blockade of food, medical supplies and fuel from entering Gaza in sufficient quantities, causing what the United Nations Relief and Works Agency has called a serious humanitarian crisis. In international and Canadian law, this amounts to the collective punishment of the civilian population, itself a grave violation. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories, Professor Richard Falk, stated several days ago that: "international humanitarian law, as set forth in the Geneva Conventions, is quietly set aside while the carnage continues and the bodies pile up."

Your explicit support for the Israeli attacks, and your silence in the face of the deliberate infliction of suffering upon the civilian population of Gaza, are unacceptable. We urgently request that the Government of Canada demand:

· an immediate ceasefire by all warring parties,

· the lifting of the inhumane siege of Gaza,

· the condemnation of all those who have committed violations of international law in this conflict, and

· the rapid implementation of all United Nations resolutions pertaining to the conflict.

Peace in the Middle East and security for Palestinians and Israelis alike will only come with justice. Siding with the aggressor and condemning the victims only lengthens the time that it will take to finally achieve a genuine and durable peace.

Yours in peace,

Canadian Friends of Sabeel, London
1478 Adelaide St.
London, Ontario
N5X 3Y1

Beth Guthrie
Co-ordinator,
London War Resisters Support Group

Ahmad Hayek
President
Canadian Arab Association, London

David Heap
Moderator
People for Peace

Samir Ishaq
President
Canadian Palestinian Association, London

Umair Jamil
Chair
Palestinian Student Association

David Janzen
Chair
Canadian Friends of Sabeel, London Chapter

Nazih Mroue
Vice-President
Al-Mahdi Al-Muntathar Union

Zan Saleemi
Chair
Association of London Muslims

Your Comments

canpalnet-ottawa.org