Canada must implement BDS, as Israel ramps up violence against indigenous Palestinians during COVID-19 pandemic
Written by: Mohammed Abdullah
The COVID-19 crisis has led to a surge in Israel’s settler-colonial violence against Palestinians. Now is the time for us to demand our government object to Israel’s crimes, especially during this pandemic.
A personal connection
In 1948, Israel was founded in Palestine by Zionist colonizers who forcefully expelled Palestinians from their homes, with the goal of creating a Jewish-only state. "A land without a people for a people without a land" is a famous trope that spread among supporters of Zionism to portray Palestine as an empty land and the Palestinian people as being non-existent, legitimating the Zionist colonial project. Palestinians, however, have long existed and Palestine was a thriving centre in the region. For instance, the Palestinian city of Jericho, located in the now-Israeli occupied West Bank, is the longest continuously inhabited city in the world.
I, as a Palestinian-Canadian, know of the rich culture, history, and identity that Palestinians have. My grandfather, who lived in Ramla, Palestine, told me of how Palestine used to attract workers and immigrants from surrounding countries, and how Palestine was famous for its oranges, olives, thyme, Nabulsi soap, and marble, among other things. Due to the abundance of fruits, my relatives regularly gave extra produce to their neighbours for free.
Palestinians even donated to people in Gulf countries, who lived under poor conditions at the time. Palestinian cities, such as Yafa, Akka, Jerusalem, Nazareth, Bethlehem, Nablus, Jenin, Tulkarem, Haifa, Gaza, Jericho, and Hebron, prospered before Zionist colonization. Each region in Palestine was unique in its dialect, food, cultural dressing, and more. For instance, Palestinians could easily differentiate a Palestinian coming from Hebron from their accent. Nablus had the best Knafe, as it originated there. Traditional Palestinian dresses, thobes, were designed differently in each region, as well. Palestinians had a rich culture, solidifiying Palestinian identity and existence, while weakening Israel’s claim of a Jewish-only connection to the land.
Palestinian woman in Bethlehem, Palestine, before 1948.
Israeli oppression and apartheid in Palestine
Since its inception, Israel has committed countless atrocities, bent on erasing Palestinian existence, which violated international law. Israel’s regular unjustified killing of innocent Palestinians, its inhumane siege on Gaza, its racist measures against Palestinian citizens of “Israel”, whom they called Arabs instead of Palestinians, its prevention of the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and land, and its continued occupation and colonization of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, indicated that Israel has been pursuing “incremental genocide” against the Palestinian people until this very day.
Israeli colony Ma’ale Adumin, built on destroyed Palestinian villages, is considered illegal under international law.
Israel has a clear system of apartheid, particularly evident in the West Bank. I have been to the West Bank three times, and everytime, it shocks me to see the segregation established by the Zionist state. For example, Jewish colonizers have different license plates from Palestinians, allowing the former to travel throughout the West Bank and “Israel”, while Palestinians can only drive in Area A of the West Bank, along with limited access to major connecting roads. Palestinians also face checkpoints, where they are pulled over for their license plates that are differentiated in green.
A yellow Israeli license plate and a green Palestinian license plate, an example of Israeli Apartheid, as each plate dictates where two groups of people can go, despite being controlled by the same state.
A Palestinian driver, with a green license plate, is pulled over at a checkpoint.
Under Israeli law, Palestinians are treated differently from Palestinians. Palestinians are subjected to Israel’s military court system. Many Palestinian children are sent to Israeli prisons. Palestinians are murdered and are deprived of any freedoms, especially Palestinians living in Gaza. Israel subjugates Palestinians to some of the worst methods of segregation and oppression in history.
A South African sign placed by the apartheid regime, similar to the ones in place by Israel today (picture below).
Israeli sign which shows the division of lands in the West Bank by the Zionist state which can be found frequently in the West Bank, Palestine.
Israel entrenches violence under the pandemic
Today, as the world rallies to end the COVID-19 pandemic, Israel has intensified its violence against the native Palestinians, fully bearing its racist and genocidal colours. Notably, Israeli forces destroyed a make-shift clinic built by Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Israel also blocked a Turkish medical shipment to Palestinians. And rather than enforce stringent social distancing rules, Israeli soldiers and colonizers in the West Bank have been documented spitting on Palestinian property, to further expose Palestinians to being infected by the coronavirus. In fact, violence carried out by Israeli colonizers against Palestinians, such as the destruction of the latter’s olive trees, has increased by 78 per cent. Furthermore, Israel continued to raze land in order to build more Israeli colonies during this crisis.
Canada’s complicity
Recently, Canada’s Liberal government tweeted a condemnation of Israel’s colonial projects. Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau has also called for an inquiry into Israel’s shooting of a Canadian medic who was saving unarmed Palestinians that were being shot by Israeli snipers. In late 2019, Canada even voted for Palestinian self-determination at the United Nations.
Despite recognizing Israel’s atrocities, Canada continued to have strong ties with Israel. In fact, Justin Trudeau has insisted that his party “will have Israel’s back” because it is the so-called “only democracy in the Middle East” and it shares Canada’s values. It is unacceptable that Canada recognizes Israel’s oppression of Palestinians, and their violations of international law, yet continues to strengthen its ties with this apartheid state. If Canada believes and follows international law, it must cut all ties with the Zionist state, starting by ending its free-trade agreement.
Trudeau’s toast to Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, April 1st, 2019.
The Canadian government must implement BDS as a policy
After decades of Israeli oppression, the time has come for Canada and other states to endorse the call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel. Founded in 2005 as a Palestinian-led movement, it sought the establishment of freedom, justice, and equality, by pressuring Israel to comply with international law, through its global isolation. While the BDS movement has grown rapidly around the world, the Canadian government has shamefully opposed it.
If Canada wants to be a global defender of human rights, then it must endorse the BDS movement. If we live in a true democracy, then it must listen to its populace, 80% of which supports the BDS movement, including many Jewish Canadians. Unfortunately, Canadian party leaders, from Andrew Scheer to Elizabeth May, have all opposed BDS. Both the Liberals and Conservatives have falsely labelled the BDS movement as anti-semitic and Trudeau has even condemned Palestine solidarity organizing on campuses, in an attack on free speech. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, after supporting Canadians’ right to boycott Israel, recently catered to Zionist pressure by attacking it on Zionist radio in Toronto.
Israel shoots Canadian citizens and Canada only responds via Twitter. Israel continues to violate international law and Canada fails to respond appropriately. Other countries, like Sweden, Norway, and Ireland, have been stepping up in their responses to Israeli oppression, while Canada has crumbled under Zionist pressure and has, instead, chosen to attack Palestine solidarity activists at home, including their fundamental right to free speech. For Canada to influence positive change, Canada must fight abusers where they exist, starting by implementing BDS against Israel. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us the importance of standing in solidarity with others around the globe and that the well-being of the most vulnerable of us is as important as the rest. We must stand with them.
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