The International Court of Justice orders Israel to stop committing genocidal acts - Canada must impose an embargo
The International Court of Justice has found that there is strong case that Israel's military campaign in Gaza amounts to genocide and issued emergency orders.Faced with the ICJ decision, Canada is compelled to prevent Israeli genocide in Gaza. The court cited extensive evidence of genocidal acts towards Palestinian civilians, video taken by IDF soldiers and 8 pages of quotes from Israeli officials expressing genocidal intent. The court found that there was in fact a “real risk of genocide” and that Israel needed to act urgently to prevent irreparable harm to Palestinian life.Canada must abide by International law and impose an arms embargo. The Canadian government has a legal responsibility under the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) to ensure its arms exports are not used in the commission of serious violations of international law, including genocide, or serious violence against women and children. The ruling by the world's top court has now made this undeniable.There is a strong possibility that Trudeau lacks the political courage to take action. He has wavered on the response to the case and Canada has a history of using its political power to sabotage efforts to hold Israel accountable.
The ICJ findings are undeniable, Canada must stop arming genocide.
ACTIONS
INFORMATION AND RESOURCES
EMERGENCY PHONE BLITZ
We're calling on all concerned residents of Canada to flood the offices of our federal leaders and the staff responsible for arms exports THIS WEEK!
JOIN A NATIONAL PHONE ZAP
Attend a zoom call where we will collectively call our MPs and ministers to raise our demands.
SCRIPT
Hi my name is ______ and I live ______ .I’m calling to insist that Canada impose an arms embargo on Israel.The International Court of Justice has found that there is plausible evidence of Israel committing genocide in Gaza.We have witnessed horrific war crimes and ethnic cleansing, resulting in the killing of more than 30,000 Palestinians, half of which are children.Canada, as a signatory of the Genocide Convention, must take all necessary steps to prevent genocide and impose an arms embargo immediately.Our government must stop permitting weapons to be sold to Israel that are being used against civilians. I don't want my tax dollars to be used to purchase or fund weapons from Israel that often market their products as “battle-tested on Palestinians”.Voters will remember how you acted in the face of genocide. If you want my vote you will stop being complicit in war crimes!
CALL YOUR MP AND MINISTERS
CALL YOUR MP:
Find your MP's phone number by clicking here.Constituents have a lot of weight with the MP in your riding.MÉLANIE JOLY
Minister of Foreign Affairs
613-992-0983 (Hill Office).
514-383-3709 (Constituency Office)
Fax: 514-383-3589Minister Joly has the legal authority to deny export permits for arms to Israel on human rights groundsJUSTIN TRUDEAU
613-992-4211 (Hill Office)
514-277-6020 (Constituency Office)
Fax: 613-947-0310
Call Global Affairs Canada (GAC)
GAC trade and export controls staff provide all guidance and research to ministers in advance of a decisions. These key government employees might be more sympathetic and responsive because they are not used getting calls.
Bruce Christie
Assistant Deputy Minister
343-203-4120Aaron Fowler
Assoc. Assistant Deputy Minister
343-203-4455Shalini Anand
Director General
343-203-4201Simon Flamand-Hubert
Deputy Director, Engagement and Operational Policy
613-406-6920Patrick Boulanger
Director, Export Controls Policy Division
343-203-4374Marianne Leblanc
Senior Policy Analyst, Export Controls Division
343-203-3954
Can you take a few minutes to call some more people within trade and export controls? A bunch of important additional targets are listed here.
RESOURCES
JOIN THE CROSS COUNTRY COMMUNITY ACTIONS FOR GAZA
Following Friday’s historic International Court of Justice interim ruling on South Africa’s genocide case against Israel, constituents in nineteen key Liberal ridings across Canada are preparing coordinated protests and events this weekend calling on MPs to stop buying and selling weapons from Israel to ensure a ceasefire.
BRITISH COLUMBIA
BURNABY
1:00pm, Sunday January 28, 2024 – MP Terry Beech’s office. 3906 Hastings Street, Burnaby.CLOVERDALE–LANGLEY CITY
1:00pm, Sunday January 28, 2024 – MP John Aldag’s office, Cloverdale–Langley City. Douglas Park, 5403-5409 206 St, Langley, BC V3A 2C5.TRI-CITIES - COQUITLAM
3:00pm, Sunday January 28, 2024 – Coquitlam City Hall.VANCOUVER - ART GALLERY
1:00pm, January 27, 2024 – Vancouver Art Gallery. Mass rally hosted by the Palestinian Youth Movement, Samidoun Vancouver, VanGran4Palestine, Youth for Palestine.
MANITOBA
WINNIPEG
1:00pm, Saturday, Jan 27th – Human Rights Museum, 85 Israel Asper Way, followed by car rally.
QUEBEC
MONTREAL - HOCHELAGA
11AM, Sunday January 28th, 2024 – local de l'Organisation populaire des droits sociaux (OPDS), 3340 rue Ontario Est. Événement familial avec des activités pour toutes et tous (bricolage, poésie, nourriture et musique).MONTREAL - OUTREMONT
11AM, Sunday January 28, 2024, MP Rachel Bendayan’s office, 154 Av. Laurier O.MONTREAL - LAURIER-SAINTE-MARIE
2PM, Sunday January 28, 2024, Rassemblement devant la Maison du développement durable. Le contingent rejoindra ensuite la manifestation hebdomadaire au 1 Westmount Square – 50 Rue Ste-Catherine O.MONTREAL - LASALLE-ÉMARD-VERDUN
12:30PM, Sunday Jan 28, MP David Lametti’s office – 6023 Monk BlvdLONGUEUIL
2pm, Saturday January 27th, 2024. MP Sherry Romanado’s office, 2120 Ave. Victoria, Greenfield Park
ONTARIO
MISSISSAUGA
3:30pm, Saturday January 27th, 2024, Intramuros Restobar. 1201 Britannia Rd. Rally outside MP Rechie Valdez’s karaoke fundraiser.TORONTO - DANFORTH
4pm, Sunday January 28, 2024 – Vigil at Greenwood Park near the fire pit. Toronto-Danforth riding.TORONTO - DAVENPORT / PARKDALE HIGH PARK
2pm, Sunday January 28, 2024, Julie Dzerowicz’s Davenport riding office, 1202 Bloor St W. Marching to MP Arif Virani’s Parkdale High Park riding office,1596 Bloor St W.TORONTO - EGLINTON-LAWRENCE
2-4pm Sunday, January 28, 2024 – Location on request, Eglinton-Lawrence ridingTORONTO - SCARBOROUGH
2pm, January 28, 2024, Highland Creek Public Library parking lot, next to MP Gary Anandasangaree's Scarborough Rouge Park office, 3550 Ellesmere Road.TORONTO - ST PAUL’S
2pm, Sunday, January 28, 2024 – Centro Cultural Latinoamericano, 1756 Eglinton Ave West. Toronto-St. Paul’s riding.TORONTO - TRINITY BELLWOODS
11am Sunday, January 28 – Trinity Bellwoods Park, Community Outreach Event, Spadina-Fort York riding.TORONTO - YORK CENTRE
10-11:30am Sunday January 28, 2024 – MP Ya’ara Saks’ office, 2800 Keele St. York Centre ridingWATERLOO
1pm, Saturday January 27, 2024, Waterloo City Hall, 100 Regina Street South, MP Bardish Chagger’s Waterloo riding.
Help Win a Ceasefire in Your Community
Neighbours for Palestine is a new cross-country network founded by Palestine Solidarity Network to push the federal government to take action on Gaza by creating pressure on Members of Parliament in swing ridings across Canada. The Network launched in December 2023 in response to a call by the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), and has since tripled in size, now including over 1000 members and 31 chapters across the country.
DIRECT ACTION
Until the Canadian government ends decades-long complicity with Israeli occupation, thousands of neighbours across the country are organizing to hold elected leaders accountable.
Plan Your Own Action
Target the Israel-Canada Arms Trade. Find a location near you, scout and research it, get friends and allies together, and interrupt their business as usual to demand they stop selling arms and military technology to Israel.
AMPLIFY YOUR ACTIONS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
USE THE FOLLOWING HASTAGS:
#CanadaEmbargoIsrael
#StopArmingGenocide
#ShutItDownforPalestineON INSTAGRAM ADD THE FOLLOWING ACCOUNTS AS COLLABORATORS:
palsolidaritycad
worldbeyondwarcanadaEMAIL PICTURES OF ACTIONS TO: [email protected]
People across the country are already taking action
Powerful actions have taken place over the past few months to push for an arms embargo on Israel. These have included blockades, sit-ins, pickets, and protests targeting at weapons companies, government targets, companies financing the weapons industry, and modes of transportation.
Blocking the Morning Shift at P&W, a Weapons Company Arming Israel
Coordinated Actions by Peace Activists Across Canada Disrupt Israeli Cargo Shipping Company Zim
Protests at Scotiabank
PalSolidarityCad: Impose an arms embargo on Israel now
L4P: Tell Canada to uphold the ICJ Ruling & Stop Arming Genocide
Jews Say No to Genocide: Jews Demand an Arms Embargo
JustPeace: End Canadian Assistance to Military Committing Genocide
Oxfam: Suspend Arms Transfers To Israel
World BEYOND War: Stop Arming Genocide
ABOUT THE DECISION: STOP A GENOCIDE BUT NO CEASEFIRE?
The South African government brought a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing Israel of breaching its obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention. In an effort to stop mass atrocities from continuing while the case is being heard, South Africa petitioned the International Court of Justice to issue emergency provisional measures to end Israel's brutal assault on Gaza.In a major victory the court rejected almost all of Israel's arguments and validated that the evidence suggests that there is a real risk that genocide is currently taking place in Gaza.The ICJ has issued orders for Israel to prevent genocidal actions and to punish genocidal statements. In a brazen admission, Israeli lawyers argued that in the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina v. Yugoslavia the ICJ had not ordered military activities to cease as a provisional measure “even though an ongoing genocide was said to be in progress.” This argument exposes the cynical reality that there is enough evidence of ongoing genocide in occupied Palestine but a failure to stop it is expected.Instead of the ICJ seeking to correct the mistake it made in the case of the Bosnian Genocide like survivors urged the ICJ in an open letter the court again allowed mass atrocities to continue by failing to issue a full ceasefire order to suspend all military operations in Gaza.
THE IMPACT OF THE DECISION ON CANADA
Now that the world's top court has made the evidence of genocide undeniable, Canada must stop arming Israel or be in breach of International law.Canada has multiple legal responsibilities to ensure it is not complicit in genocide. As a signatory of the Genocide Convention, Canada has an obligation to take necessary measures and enact legislation to prevent genocide. Canada also has legal responsibility under the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) to ensure its arms exports are not used in the commission of serious violations of international law, including genocide, or serious violence against women and children. Under domestic law, including Canada’s Export and Import Permits Act, Canada must reject any export permits for arms if those arms could be used to violate international law, used in the commission of serious violations of international law, or used to commit serious violence against women and children.This means Canada needs to immediately halt all transfers of weapons to Israel. This includes canceling existing contracts to sell weapons, parts or military services to Israel, revoking existing export licenses, and not issuing new contracts or export licenses.The Canadian government has a history of subverting its international legal obligations in favour of supporting Israel and could continue to arm genocide.If Trudeau continues to provide Israel with weapons to be used against civilians in occupied Palestine, he could be charged with war crimes.
BACKGROUND ON CANADA'S ROLE
Canada Arms Trade With Israel