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December 2019 Issue No. 8
“Peacemaking calls for courage, much more so than warfare. It calls for the courage to say yes to encounter and no to conflict: yes to dialogue and no to violence; yes to negotiations and no to hostilities; yes to respect for agreements and no to acts of provocation; yes to sincerity and no to duplicity. All of this takes courage, it takes strength and tenacity.” -Pope Francis, invocation for peace in Israel and Palestine.
Canada votes to support Palestinian
self- determination at the UN
Amal Nassar and her nephew Bishara Nassar repair fencing around a young grape vine on the hilltop farm where their family has lived for more than 100 years. The farm is near Bethlehem and is surrounded by five Israeli settlements. (MCC photo/Emily Loewen) In November 2019 – for the first time since 2005 – Canada voted in favour of a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution in support of Palestinian self-determination. Resolution
74/69 aligns with Canada’s long-held official policy for Palestine and Israel, particularly Canada’s condemnation of the occupation and continued construction of illegal Israeli settlements, as outlined in the Fourth Geneva Convention. We want to take the time to thank the government for their important shift in this direction! We see this as a crucial step and encourage the government to continue to move forward. In the interest of keeping the momentum going, while we welcome this vote, we
continue to be concerned that Canadian trade policy for the region, specifically through the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement (CIFTA), is inconsistent with official Canadian policy and with the UN resolution. CIFTA lacks any regulation to ensure goods produced or sourced from illegal Israeli settlements and industrial parks within Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), are either excluded or labelled as such.
This allows the benefits of CIFTA to extend to illegal Israeli settlements. This is contrary to Canada’s obligations to uphold international law. We are grateful for this change and want to thank the Canadian government taking this stance! It is important that we take the time to thank the Canadian government for this welcome shift in voting, but that we also urge the government to put regulations in place to ensure all of Canada’s actions in the region are consistent with official policy and this UN resolution. Without such regulation Canada’s UN vote, while important, is only symbolic. We can encourage Canada to support a just peace for all in the region. Act Today: Send a message to your MP and the Prime Minister, noting your appreciation and urging the government to do more!
An update on the Israeli elections
The old city of Jerusalem with the Dome of the Rock Shrine silhouetted in the distance. (MCC photo/Hans Berger) It has been both a hectic and complicated year for Israeli politics, to say the least. Israel held two federal elections in 2019, and is possibility heading for a third in the coming months. Though failing to form a governing coalition, unfortunately, the three major competing party groups agree on one position: a general disregard for Palestinian rights and interests. MCC staff and partners are monitoring this situation closely as these chronic political uncertainties and challenges weigh heavily on the context in which they work. Read more about these ongoing political dynamics here and here.
The Canada-Palestine Friendship Group
Anna Vogt, Director of the MCC Ottawa Office, Rebekah Sears, Policy Analyst for the MCC Ottawa Office, and Marwan Tabbara, MP Kitchener South-Hespeler - Chair of the Canada-Palestine Friendship Group, in October 2018. Did you know that Members of Parliament often take part in groups around different issues? One group is the Canada-Palestine Parliamentary Friendship Group which aims to “increase mutual understanding between Canadians and Palestinians through dialogue and by
sharing knowledge and experience through direct contact.” A Canada-Israel Friendship Group has existed for some time and has many members; it also receives financial support from Parliament. The Canada-Palestine group is more recent. It does not receive financial support but has still engaged in important activities, for example, a trip to Palestine and Israel and the publication of a report regarding the need for Canadian support for human rights in the region. As new and returning MPs come back to Ottawa, this is a
chance for them to get engaged on this issue. Take action: Encourage your MP to join the group.
Life behind the economic blockade of Gaza
Mohammad Abd-Elnabi and four of his five children: the girls left to right, Sama Abd-Elnabi and Fatema Abd-Elnabi; and the boys, Yousef Abd-Elnabi and Ahmed Abd-Elnabi. (MCC photo/Mostafa Al Naffar) Everyone needs a home — where families are safe and secure, where their basic needs are met, where they can come and go freely, and where they can imagine a future. But that is not the reality for Palestinians — or even for some Israelis. Living under Israeli occupation, Palestinians regularly experience demolition of their homes, confiscation of their land, restrictions to their movement because of checkpoints, walls, and permit systems. They live with severe
water shortages. Many of those who resist — even non-violently — face military detention and imprisonment. MCC staff recently Many Israeli Jews live with ongoing fear and trauma as a result of centuries of persecution. They too long for safety and security. Read our two-part blog series about what life is like in Gaza, which the United Nations has said could become uninhabitable by 2020, due to the complete economic blockade imposed by Israel. Life behind the economic blockade of Gaza Part 1 and Part 2
Thank-you for joining MCC in responding to the cry of our Palestinian and Israeli partners!
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