November 10, 2023
In the month since the Hamas attack on October 7th, the crisis in the Middle East has escalated alarmingly, and humanity seems to be at a dangerous moment: revenge and permanent retaliation have become normalized. Last week the UN issued an urgent warning that “time is running out to prevent genocide and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza” as Israeli government officials have advocated death and forcible displacement of civilians in Gaza, the intentional bombing of Palestinian educational, health and religious institutions, and the collective punishment of the population via the current blockade of goods, including fuel, electricity and water. This is happening in the context of on-going Western (and Canadian) condemnation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Russian military conduct in that war; and after decades of the destruction of Palestinian homes and livelihoods and gradual, illegal expansion of Israeli settlements on Palestinian land in the West Bank, that may well be a harbinger of what will come in Gaza.
Therefore, MAFA joins the voices of our colleagues from other Canadian universities, and Canadian civil society organizations demanding the Canadian government 1) call for an immediate ceasefire; 2) end all forms of Canadian military and financial aid, including arms sales, to Israel; 3) call for talks under the auspices of the United Nations to find a durable and just political solution to this conflict; 4) call for the release of all hostages and the thousands of Palestinian political prisoners held in Israeli prisons; 5) pressure Israel to lift the unlawful blockade on Gaza, 6) condemn Israel’s violation of international humanitarian law and laws of war and support investigation by the International Criminal Court; and 7) pressure the Israeli government to end its illegal occupation of Palestinian territories.
Sources in original document:
Gaza is ‘running out of time’ UN experts warn, demanding a ceasefire to prevent genocide — https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/11/gaza-running-out-time-un-experts-warn-demanding-ceasefire-prevent-genocide
Open letter to PM Justin Trudeau – https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lH6dlpMGMmHjsWiiOowneevVzv7xr8pSZyXzS7J1Vho/edit
Resignation Letter from Craig Mokhiber, Director of the New York office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights – 28/10/2023 — https://iaffairscanada.com/resignation-letter-from-craig-mokhiber-director-of-the-new-york-office-of-the-un-high-commissioner-for-human-rights-28-10-2023/
Israel: Unlawful Gaza Blockade Deadly for Children — https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/10/18/israel-unlawful-gaza-blockade-deadly-children