(Ottawa) An international human rights organization calls on the Trudeau government to take action against the Israeli government’s alleged “crimes against humanity”, which it calls the “apartheid” state.
Human Rights Watch’s request is attached to the group’s new report accusing Israeli authorities of systematic discrimination against Palestinians in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza Strip.
Based on interviews, fieldwork, and a review of government documents, the 218-page report concluded that Israeli laws and policies have enslaved Palestinians “because of their identity,” which in some cases amount to “persecution and apartheid” – both of which constitute crimes against humanity under international law.
We know that the word “apartheid” is a harsh word. “At the same time, apartheid is the reality for many Palestinians,” Farida Deif, director of Human Rights Watch Canada, said in an interview.
It is time for the Trudeau government to realize that the Israeli authorities are committing crimes against humanity and to use their close partnership with Israel to end these violations. ”
Canadian Global Affairs spokesman Grantley Franklin said the federal government is reviewing the report and remains committed to the two-state solution to the conflict.
The Israeli government accused Human Rights Watch of having an “anti-Israel agenda” and described the New York-based organization as a “propaganda brochure.”
“Wanted: A human rights organization that is more interested in helping Palestinians who live under the suppression of Hamas, not the demonization of Israel,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry said on Twitter on Tuesday.
The report argues that Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians is consistent with the United Nations and the International Criminal Court’s definitions of apartheid as including an intent to maintain control of one group over another and involves inhumane acts and systematic repression for this purpose.
The organization sheds light on the 2018 law passed by the Knesset declaring Israel’s right to self-determination as “unique to the Jewish people.” The report documents land confiscation in the West Bank and policies that prevent the free movement of Palestinians or their goods in the occupied territories.
It also cites “strict military law,” an effective freeze on family reunification, and the systematic denial of building permits among measures that often have a “legitimate security justification.”
M. said. “No matter where you are with respect to history, the peace process, or borders, we can all see and agree that the inhuman treatment of Palestinians must not continue without the control of the international community, including Canada.”I Guest.
She said Canada and Israel’s other allies should add conditions to arms sales, impose targeted sanctions on state officials, and support prosecutions at the International Criminal Court.
The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court opened an investigation last month into alleged crimes in the Palestinian territories, with a focus on Israeli military actions and settlement building in lands captured in the 1967 Six Day War.
Although the Palestinians do not have an independent state, they were granted non-member observer status in the United Nations General Assembly in 2012, which allowed them to join international organizations such as the International Criminal Court.
Israel, which is not a member of the court – and Canada is one of 123 member states – said the court has no jurisdiction because Palestine is not a sovereign state.
With information from the Associated Press
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