Two Parliamentary Petitions have been presented in the last week. The Canadian government has 45 days to respond.
Presentation of E-3679
Petition to the Government of Canada
Whereas:
- On 22 October 2021, the Israeli Defense Minister designated six leading Palestinian civil society organizations (CSOs) as terrorist organizations under the Israel Anti-Terror Law of 2016, including Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, Al-Haq Law in the Service of Man (Al-Haq), Bisan Center for Research and Development, Defense
- { for Children International-Palestine (DCI-P), the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC), and the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees (UPWC);
- Designations may result in seizure of CSO assets, office closures, and the arrest and jailing of staff members by the Israeli authorities;
- UN Special Rapporteurs condemned Israel’s designation of Palestinian human rights defenders as terrorist organizations stating, “the misuse of counter-terrorism measures in this way by the government of Israel undermines the security of all”;
- The designations violate the freedoms of opinion, expression, and association, amounting to prohibited acts of apartheid under Article 7(2)(h) of the Rome Statute; and
- Canada is obliged under Article 1 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, to ensure that violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention do not occur under any circumstance.
We, the undersigned, residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to:
1. Call upon the Israeli authorities to immediately rescind the designations and end all efforts aimed at delegitimizing and criminalizing Palestinian human rights defenders;
2. Support Palestinians seeking the fundamental human rights, justice and accountability; and
3. Honour its obligation to ensure Israel’s compliance with international law.
Nathaniel Erskine-Smith (Beaches—East York) presented on February 8, 2022.
Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to table today.
First, over 1,500 Canadians have signed a petition raising concerns about Israel’s designation of six leading Palestinian civil society organizations as terrorist organizations. They note the concerns raised by the UN special rapporteurs condemning the designation, and they call on the Government of Canada to call upon Israeli authorities to immediately rescind the designations and to end all efforts aimed at delegitimizing and criminalizing Palestinian human rights defenders.
#StandWithTheSix
Presentation of E-3609
Presented by Liberal MP Salma Zahid on February 16, 2022
Petition to the Government of Canada
Whereas:
- The protection of the rights of children around the world is a priority of the Canadian government;
- As signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Israel has an obligation to ensure basic due process rights and the absolute prohibition against torture and ill-treatment of children in accordance with international juvenile justice standards;
- The Secretary General of the United Nations 2019 report on children and armed conflict on June 20, 2019, reiterated the Special Representative’s “call upon Israel to uphold international juvenile justice standards, as well as to cease the use of administrative detention for children and end all forms of ill-treatment in detention, and to cease any attempted recruitment of detained children as informants”;
- Israel automatically and systematically prosecutes children in military courts that lack fundamental fair trial rights and protections;
- For over 30 years, Al-Haq, Defense for Children International Palestine and other human rights groups have investigated, documented, and exposed human rights violations against children; and
- Under Article 1 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, all high signatories, of which Canada is one, are required to take actions to ensure that violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention do not occur under any circumstance.
We, the undersigned, residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to call for an urgent study by the Subcommittee on International Human Rights of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development to review Israel’s treatment of children in Israeli occupied Palestine and compliance with its obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
#NoWay2TreatAChild
Almost 2,000 signed this petition, in addition to almost 5,000 signed earlier petition with the same wording which was abandoned by the Government when the writ was dropped to call the 2021 fall federal election.
