50+ Canadian MPs commit to opposing Israel's annexation of Palestinian West Bank
Written by: Aidan Jonah
On July 7, the activist group Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East announced that 57 MPs have committed to opposing Israel’s annexation of the Palestinian West Bank. The list contains MPs from the NDP, Liberals, the entire Bloc Québécois caucus and the Green Party. Four Green Party leadership candidates signed on, including Amita Kuttner, Meryam Haddad, Judy Green and Dimitri Lascaris.
Notably, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh did not sign this pledge. Singh has previously indicated his unequivocal opposition to BDS.
Organizations including Independent Jewish Voices, the Canadian Labour Congress, Canadian Federation of Students have committed to opposing Israeli annexation. Meanwhile, over 6,000 Canadians have sent e-mails asking their MPs to sign the pledge.
The full list is available at this link.
The illegal annexation of the Palestinian West Bank and the entire Jordan Valley was set to occur on July 1. However, Israel received a stern warning from over 1, 000 diplomats representing a number of European countries and though the House Republicans in the U.S, Congress have endorsed Israel’s annexation plan, the Trump administration is wavering. Black Lives Matter UK has also publicly condemned the annexation plan and condemned Israeli apartheid. Israel has not yet followed through on this annexation plan at this time.
The MPs specifically promised to demonstrate “meaningful opposition to the annexation plans” by considering “all reasonable diplomatic and economic options to stop annexation and prompt Israeli compliance with international law." However, this promise did not confirm their support for BDS or definitive guarantees of actions.
In response to this news, CJPME Vice-President Michael Bueckert said on Twitter, “If your MP is on the list, please thank them for raising their voice against annexation! If your MP is missing, send them an e-mail urging them to change their mind.”
Canadians support action against annexation, the governing Liberals do not
A recent EKOS poll found that 74 per cent of Canadians want their government to express opposition to Israeli annexation, while more than two in five want to impose economic or diplomatic sanctions if the newest annexation occurs.
“It is heartening to see strong and vocal Parliamentary opposition to annexation,” said Thomas Woodley, President of CJPME. “MPs from across the political spectrum have raised their voice to say that Canada must use all the tools available to try to stop Israel’s planned annexation, and to protect the rights of the Palestinian people.”
Canada’s pro-Israeli apartheid stances and its’ promise to “act as an asset for Israel” led to the failure of their bid for a non-permanent UN Security Council seat. An open letter led by Just Peace Advocates even forced Canada’s former Permanent Representative to the UN, Marc-André Blanchard, to deliver a letter to all UN ambassadors defending Canadian policy on Palestinian rights days before the final vote.
“This pledge should send a strong message to the Trudeau government that words are not enough and that serious action is required,” said Corey Balsam, IJV National Coordinator. “It’s not too late for MPs to stand on the right side of history, but the window may soon close.”
Trudeau recently doubled down, as former Ontario NDP premier Bob Rae was recently named as Canada’s new ambassador to the United Nations. Yves Engler explained in a recent column for The Canada Files, that Rae has consistently pushed pro-US, militarist and anti-Palestinian positions:
“It is on Palestinian rights that Rae has shown himself to be most hostile to human rights and democracy. The former NDP premier of Ontario left the party in 2002 because of its support of Palestinian rights. When NDP Deputy Leader Libby Davies (correctly) stated in 2010 that the Israeli occupation began in 1948 not 1967 Rae joined a pile on. He stated, “the appropriate decision, given her stature and responsibilities with the NDP, is for Mr. Layton to ask for her resignation as Deputy Leader and for Ms. Davies to issue an apology to all Canadians. Nothing short of that will do.”
In the United Kingdom, nearly 130 Parliamentarians signed a letter which demanded Prime Minister Boris Johnson “make clear publicly to Israel that any annexation will have severe consequences including sanctions.”
Meanwhile, Trudeau’s government refuses to do anything more than express verbal opposition to the annexation plans. Trudeau has repeatedly stated that he is opposed to initiating BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) against Israel, making any real action against Israel’s most recent annexation of Palestinian land unlikely.
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