(Ottawa) Recognize the Palestinian state, sanction Israeli ministers who call for crimes against humanity to be committed in Gaza, commit to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu if an arrest warrant is issued by the ICC: Canada must pose strong gestures and raise their voice if it really wants to exert more pressure on the Jewish state, believes the Bloc Québécois.
The pro-independence group put forward a series of 10 proposals on Wednesday which could allow us to “bring us closer to the end of the fighting and perhaps to a lasting peace between Israel and Palestine”, according to its leader Yves-François Blanchet .
“Canada must send strong signals to Israel that an immediate ceasefire is necessary and that Israel must stop obstructing the arrival of medical, food and humanitarian aid, while the terrorist group Hamas must release the hostages immediately and lay down their weapons,” he said.
Among the ten measures put forward by the Bloc Québécois are the following:
- Support the Arab League in its call for the creation of an international peacekeeping force to be deployed in the occupied Palestinian territories until a functioning Palestinian state is established.
- Adopt a complete moratorium on the export to Israel of any technology for possible military use.
- Apply the Canadian sanctions regime to Israeli ministers who openly call for crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and target more extremist settlers in the West Bank.
- Immediately exclude the occupied territories from the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement to stop conferring trade benefits on illegal West Bank settlements, which contribute to their economic prosperity.
- Join the many countries that have recently recognized the Palestinian state in recognizing Palestine, while reiterating support for a two-state solution.
- Support the International Court of Justice and possibly the International Criminal Court in order to enforce international law and commit to arresting any person targeted by a possible arrest warrant who may be on Canadian territory.
In the House of Commons on Monday, Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly urged the Jewish state, without naming it, to respect international law.
“Palestinian civilians have nowhere to go,” she lamented in response to a question from New Democrat Jagmeet Singh. The killing of innocent civilians is completely unacceptable. The decisions of the International Court of Justice are binding. »
PHOTO JUSTIN TANG, THE CANADIAN PRESS
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly
At the end of question period in the House, this Wednesday, the Bloc foreign affairs spokesperson Stéphane Bergeron will try to have a motion adopted by unanimous consent with the aim of condemning the recent actions of the IDF in the Gaza strip.
The said motion requests that the House “be outraged by the Israeli strikes which caused numerous victims among the displaced in Rafah” and “call for an end to operations in Rafah, reiterating that there are no safe areas in Rafah for Palestinian civilians.
It also demands “respect for international law, an immediate ceasefire and the release of the hostages”.
An MP’s office vandalized
The already strong indignation of the international community, including that of Canada, escalated after the nighttime IDF strike on a displaced persons camp in Rafah on Sunday, which left 45 dead, according to the Ministry of Health of Gaza, controlled by Hamas.
“The tragedy and suffering in Gaza must end. We are horrified by the Israeli strikes which killed civilians in Rafah, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday. In no way does Canada support Israel’s military operations in Rafah. »
Popular indignation was also expressed in red paint on a window of the local office of Liberal MP Julie Dzerowicz. “Rahaf [sic] burns. It will also happen in Toronto,” wrote a vandal on the window of the office in the riding of Davenport, in Toronto, according to photos that circulated on the X network.
Arms dealers taken to task
In the federal capital, not far from the international airport, on Wednesday morning, demonstrators disrupted the opening of the annual defense industry exhibition (CANSEC) organized by the Canadian Defense and Security Industries Association ( AICDS).
Activists notably called for the opening of a public inquiry into the arms trade.
PHOTO PATRICK DOYLE, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Protesters disrupted the opening of the annual defense industry exhibition (CANSEC) in Ottawa on Wednesday.
The Minister of National Defense, Bill Blair, who was on hand to give a speech, insisted in a press scrum on the fact that Canada had not approved any new arms export license to Israel since the 8 January.
“This has been communicated clearly to the industry: it is forbidden to export without a permit, and no permit has been granted,” he then argued, intercepted in a corridor of parliament on his return from the annual high mass of the Canadian military industry.
The last time we heard, no official guidelines had been communicated to weapons manufacturers.
And the export permits that had already been issued continue to be honored.