Israel’s war crimes and genocide are enabled by impunity afforded to Israel and associated actors by States, including Canada.
International law makes Canada’s obligations clear. The International Court of Justice has affirmed that States must:
a) refrain from aiding or assisting Israel in maintaining its illegal occupation; and
b) take steps to ensure Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law.
Of course this is not new. The Fourth Geneva Convention, and Canada’s Geneva Conventions Act also require this.
In addition, a UN Independent Commission has determined that “States must do all that is necessary and reasonable to ensure that the Israeli Government brings its wrongful acts to an end as rapidly as possible” (2024, para 22).
It is therefore well past time for Canada to meaningfully escalate its sanctions regime against entities responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity, apartheid, and genocide against Palestinians, and ethnic cleansing and forced displacement.
Economic sanctions are a well-established foreign policy tool to compel behavioural change by States and associated actors responsible for grave international crimes. Most often they are used as an imperialist weapon rather for accountability under international law.
While Canada has taken limited steps by sanctioning a small number of individuals and groups linked with settler violence, these measures fall far short of what the situation demands or what international and domestic law require. The time has come to substantially scale up this pressure.
In line with the detailed recommendations of the Global Sanctions Coalition, and packages already provided to the Canadian government, as well as other Member States, call on your elected officials to impose sanctions on:
a) the World Zionist Organization, Minister Orit Strook, and Jewish National Fund/Keren Kayemet LeIsarel for contributing directly to the dispossession and displacement of Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank; and
b) Harel Libi and Libi Construction Ltd, Alon Elgali and his company Meshek Afar Ltd, and Uria Loberman and the Uria Unit for facilitating the demolition of civilian infrastructure in Gaza.
Canada must act decisively. The time has come to sanction Israel now.
Write to Minister Anand.
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Learn more, check out the Global Sanctions Coalition website