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Conservatives vote against human rights
On January 12, 2008 the United Nations Human Rights Council voted to condemn the “massive violations of human rights” by Israel in Gaza. Thirty three countries voted in favour of the resolution and, shamefully, Canada was the only country to vote against.
Simply cut and paste the letter into your e-mail and add your details at the end. Or copy the e-mail addresses listed here:
pm@pm.gc.ca Cannon.L@parl.gc.ca Ignatieff.M@parl.gc.ca Layton.J@parl.gc.ca Duceppe.G@parl.gc.ca
Let us know about your efforts. Please cc the Canadian Peace Alliance at cpa@web.ca
To: Prime Minister, Stephen Harper
The Canadian Peace Alliance, Canada’s largest pan-Canadian peace network representing more than 150 organizations, condemns your shameful decision to be the only country to vote against the United Nations Human Rights Council resolution calling for an end to the “massive human rights violations” against the people of Gaza. Further, we demand that the Government of Canada publicly support that resolution and call on Israel to immediately cease the killing of Palestinians and withdraw from the Gaza strip.
After 17 days of fighting in Gaza more than 900 Palestinians, mainly civilians, have been killed by the Israelis and more than 3500 wounded. The Israeli actions have been condemned by international human rights organizations and the United Nations as violating international law and the Geneva conventions. The systemic destruction of civilian infrastructure and the collective punishment of the people of Gaza is nothing short of a war crime. The Government of Canada, by not supporting this UN resolution, is complicit in those war crimes.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza gets worse with each day of the aggressive Israeli attacks. The 1.5 million people of Gaza are threatened with a disaster as the necessities of life: water, food and medical supplies run dangerously low. More than 25,000 Gazan civilians have been internally displaced and there is no route for them to escape the carnage.
The people of Canada want their government to ensure the just application of international law yet this decision, once again, shows that the Conservative government supports the wholesale slaughter of innocent people. Thousands of Canadians and hundreds of thousands around the world have demonstrated to end the war in Gaza. We demand you stand with the growing international consensus and call for an end to the war on the people of Gaza a now.
Please include :
Your Name Address City Postal Code
cc: Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs Michael Ignatieff, Liberal Leader Jack Layton, New Democratic Party Leader Gilles Duceppe, Bloc Quebecois Leader
For more information please see. www.acp-cpa.ca
Matthew Brett is the Canadian Dimension weblog manager. The views expressed on this blog do not necessarily represent his own. Read more by Matthew Brett.
33 countries who routinely vote against Israel on pretty well everything. There were also 13 abstentions that go unmentioned.
#1. Posted by KC on January 12th 2009 at 12:34am
Why did the Palestinian people vote in Hamas then? And why is Hamas shooting thousands of rockets attacking innocent Jewish people? Where is the atrocity if Israel fight back against this?
#2. Posted by Yehuda on January 12th 2009 at 9:28am
Why, O Canada.? Why???
#3. Posted by myna leejohnstone on January 13th 2009 at 1:53pm
Thanks Matthew for this update.
I’m curious about the comments you’ve received. Why is it that 33 other countries are able to see the situation objectively and we have folks like this saying the Council has no credibility?
Are Con supporters THAT blinded by their support of Harpercrites and Israel and that stubborn that they’re content with reaching 1,000 deaths (mostly civilian) before the weekend is upon us?
These are probably the same folks who would have us believe Guantanamo is a Club Med.
#4. Posted by Liam on January 13th 2009 at 2:23pm
Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued a news release praising the Conservative government’s ‘particularly warm relations with Israel’
“The Harper government was the first to boycott Hamas immediately after its election and supported Israel during the Lebanon war against Hezbollah.”
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/01/22/hamas-canada.html
“Indigenous people in Canada have much in common with the people of Israel, including respect for the land”
AFN ‘Grand’ Chief Phil Fontaine: CJC/AFN trip to Israel
http://www.afn.ca/article.asp?id=2276
The Canada-Israel “Public Security Agreement”
http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=8530
Canada Israel Free Trade Agreement:
http://www.international.gc.ca/trade-agreements-accords-commerciaux/agr-acc/israel/index.aspx
Canada has achieved what Israel can only lust for…
http://mostlywater.org/lawyers_and_indians_indians_identification_conflicted_relationship
#5. Posted by John Shafer on January 13th 2009 at 7:22pm
Given its obsession with investigating cartoons and ignoring pretty well every human rights abuse on the planet committed by anyone other than Israel, the UNHRC has absolutely zero credbility and should be ignored or better yet abandoned by Canada.
#6. Posted by KC on January 14th 2009 at 12:30am
But the Jews are the indigenous people of the region. “Palestinians?” There are no historical references to them; no archaeological record. Unless Arabs of the former British Palestine Mandate recognize this fact they will continue to be abused by those they imagine to be their advocates.
#7. Posted by Blue on January 14th 2009 at 10:06am
the last url is: http://mostlywater.org/lawyers_and_indians_identification_conflicted_relationship
the lesson is that settler states always seek the genocide of the Indigenous by fair means or foul;
by cluster bomb and white phosphorous or lawyers, trick-or-treaty commissions, and ‘extinguishment by consent’.
Free Palestine! Free all Indigenous Nations!
JGS
#8. Posted by John Shafer on January 14th 2009 at 5:08pm
shame on you harper, shame on you
#9. Posted by sam on January 14th 2009 at 10:22pm