July 29, 2006

 

World Vision Canada

World Vision is responding to the critical needs of more than 8,500 Lebanese people and 17,000 Palestinians, affected by the conflict between Hezbollah and the Israeli military.

In southern Lebanon, bombing has made it difficult for people to leave the region—and dangerous to reach them with food and medicine. In spite of the risks, World Vision staff members distributed blankets, clothes, hygiene kits, and medicine to more than 640 families.

 

Canadian Red Cross

Crisis in the Middle East - Appeal for Lebanon
The International Committee of the Red Cross is seeking funds to strengthen its operations in Lebanon to respond to the urgent needs of the civilian population affected by the conflict, and to help boost the emergency-response capacity of the Lebanese Red Cross Society.

The Near East Cultural and Educational Foundation of Canada
c/o 573 Huron Street, Toronto, Ont. M5R 2R6 Tel. (416) 966 2815

PLEASE SEND YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO NECEF AT THE OUR ADDRESS ABOVE.
Charitable tax receipts will be issued.

A Call for Fund Raising by NECEF – July 2006

With the tragic events of the last few weeks continuing to unfold in the Middle East, the desperate situation in Gaza has been eclipsed in the media by the horrendous destruction wreaked by Israel on the people of Lebanon. NECEF is soliciting your support to raise money to assist in humanitarian projects, such as food, medicine and shelter, in both Lebanon and Gaza. Money raised will be channeled through the Near East Council of Churches, a trusted and experienced organization in humanitarian aid that has offices throughout the Middle East. Please earmark your donation to either of the two devastated areas, if you want. NECEF will issue you a tax-exempt receipt.

1. The humanitarian situation is Gaza, one of the most densely populated pieces of real estate in the world and home to 1.3 million Palestinians, continues to deteriorate daily. Israel's bombing of the power plant on 28 June has, according to the United Nations Office of Humanitarian Coordination, “severely depleted” the supply of electricity and water to institutions and residents of Gaza.

2. The United Nations estimates that 79% of Gazans live below the poverty line, in a place where nearly 50% of the population consists of children under the age of 16.

3. Food, fuel, medicine, and water are in short supply and they reach Gaza intermittently since Israel controls the crossing points.

4. On July 12, the Israeli air force bombed a residential building in Gaza killing a couple and their seven children. Altogether since June 28, 71 Palestinian have been killed in Gaza and 197 injured. In contrast
one Israeli soldier was killed and four others injured.

5. The massive destruction in Lebanon, a country that was painstakingly built after Sharon's 1982 invasion, is yet to be tallied. The human cost as of today, July 21, is around 300 people killed and more than hundreds injured – nobody knows for sure. Among those killed there were eight known Lebanese-Canadians. In one twenty-four hour period on July 15, the death toll consisted of 40 civilians killed: a family of 10 (husband, wife and 8 children); a family of seven; and 23 people fleeing in a mini van, as Israel has requested them to do by dropping leaflets. All this and no doubt more will be done to the people of Lebanon in the name of two kidnapped Israeli soldiers.

6. Thousands of people have been displaced in Gaza and Lebanon as a result of wanton destruction of their homes by Israeli forces.

7. The Canadian Government through its leader Mr. Stephen Harper has voiced strong support of Israel's actions. Instead of counseling moderation, Mr. Harper described Israeli actions as “measured response”.

LETTER FROM THE REV. FR. ROBERT ASSALY, PRESIDENT OF NECEF TO STEPHEN HARPER

25 July 2006
The Right Honourable Stephen Harper,
Prime Minister of Canada

Prime Minister:

The Near East Cultural and Educational Foundation is a well-known
national NGO which, for over 20 years, has been dedicated to development
in the Middle East and related education in Canada. Almost all of our
work has been concentrated in Gaza and Lebanon with partners in the
region; our membership and friends echo the rising concern among the
Canadian public regarding injustices in the Middle East. We have
consistently maintained that upholding of international law, the Geneva
Conventions, UN General Assembly and Security Council Resolutions are
cornerstones of achieving justice and peace in the region. NECEF has
encouraged Canada's reputation as an honest broker in the Middle East.

We write now both to express our concern about the situation in the
Middle East, and to request an immediate meeting with you to discuss
Canada's response. As you are well aware, civilians are being
slaughtered by the dozens in Lebanon and Gaza. These civilian deaths
include several Canadian children and adults, and tens of thousands of
Canadians along with millions of Palestinian and Lebanese civilians are
at risk. While some may argue that Israel was provoked by Hezbollah, the
seizing and illegal detent-ion of thousands of innocent Arab civilians
by Israel, including over 300 women and children, may have precipitated
the seizing and detention of two Israeli combatants. Nonetheless, there
is no excuse for the attack on civilian life by any party.

There is no international law that tolerates wanton attacks on civilians
and civilian infrastructure; indeed, it forbids such conduct
unambiguously. We deplore all attacks on all civilians regardless of
nationality -- Arab, Israeli or Canadian. The IV Geneva Convention is
part of international law and Canadian law. It does not protect
Hezbollah or Israeli combatants, rather as its full title indicates, is
for “the protection of civilians in time of war” and occupation. Israel,
even prior to the seizure of a soldier near Gaza, was committing “grave
breaches” of the Convention in occupied Gaza, commonly known as war crimes.

In touring Beirut on 22 of July, Jan Egeland, the U.N. emergency relief
coordinator, described Israel's conduct in Lebanon as a violation of
Humanitarian Law; Louise Arbour, the UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights, has warned of war crimes charges. Israel's escalated attacks on
civilians and civilian infrastructure in both Gaza and now Lebanon are
war crimes under article 147 of the IV Geneva Convention. We are deeply
disappointed in your statement identifying these war crimes as “a
measured response” and implying that attacks on civilians are
self-defense. Both Israel and Hezbollah must equally be denied such
cover. Within 48 hours of your rationalization of this criminal
violence, the same violence resulted in 15 children, as well as innocent
adults, being burned alive in a van targeted by an Israeli missile and 8
Canadians including children were killed by Israeli fire.

The massive destruction of essential civilian infrastructure in Gaza and
Lebanon is unprecedented. Once again, we see that development can only
be effective and enduring in a context of a just peace. However,
Canada's potential contribution to this objective is vastly diminished
by your stated bias, moving Canada from a potential honest broker to a
partisan country. This sullying of our hard-earned reputation in the
region may take years to recover from, unless you take appropriate action.

We therefore expect of you, our Prime Minister, to make clear:

? All lives -- including Arab, Jewish, Israeli and Canadian lives -- are
equally precious;
? That Canada unequivocally condemns all violence against civilians by
any of the combatants, and that such violence and destruction is a war
crime punishable under Canadian law (The Geneva Conventions Act (1985));
? An immediate ceasefire is required;
? Canada is willing to support this through the United Nations and by
offering non-partisan mediation between the parties;

We hope you are willing to meet in the coming days with NECEF and other
NGO's who support these objectives to dialogue about the Middle East
crisis.

In hope of a just peace,
Robert C. Assaly+
The Rev. Robert C. Assaly,
President

 

 

 

 

 

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