On Monday, February 29th, 2016, CUSJ President Margaret Rao wrote to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, urging him to overturn his government’s recent motion condemning those who support a boycott of goods produced in settlements, as a legitimate, peaceful and democratic means of putting pressure on Israel to cease its expansion of settlements. Israel is breaking the terms of the fourth Geneva convention and flouting international law. CUSJ supports BDS, as stated in a formal resolution that was passed in December 2015. Rao adds that the BDS campaign is supported by numerous organizations and churches, who, like CUSJ, uphold the equal worth and dignity of all peoples–a noble principle that will never be achieved in the face of the continued destruction of Palestinian homes and villages, the enforced resettlement of the indigenous Bedouins, and the greatly increased expansion of Jewish settlements into the Occupied Territories.
Rao closes her letter like this:
If the Canadian government wants to be a true friend to Israel, we must help that country find a way out of the current morass, so that there may be a lasting peace for both Jewish and Arab Israelis and Palestinians. CUSJ urges you and your government to be part of the global effort to promote a non-violent, negotiated end to the occupation and a just peace in the Middle East. We urge you to stand firmly for democracy and overturn this divisive motion.
To read the full text of the letter, click here.