One year ago, February 2016, CUSJ President Margaret Rao wrote to Prime Minister Trudeau, urging him to overturn the anti-BDS motion that was introduced by the Conservative government. He did not grant our wish… But at least the UN acted, passing Resolution 2334 condemning Israeli settlements on Palestinian terroritory as a flagrant violation of international law and an obstacle to peace.
Continuing the power struggle, in February 2017 Israel introduced the Expropriation Bill (a.k.a. the land-grab law), which retroactively legalized more than 50 settlements, a move that Haaretz described as ‘a slap in the face of the international community‘. The new law has been condemned by the UK, France, and Germany… but Canada has remained silent. Well, now, maybe we should clarify–the government has remained silent; Canadians have spoken out loud and clear in favor of peace, through the BDS movement. In 2016, Canadians added their voices to international BDS activities through the Green Party of Canada, which voted for BDS, and through student movements, among others. For example, the Dalhousie Student Union vote to divest, and McGill University voted to divest… And now there is that EKOs poll.
So CUSJ has, once again, written to our prime minister. A little nudge. The Liberal government has to decide which master it wants to serve.
I believe that the BDS movement is the clearest way to express our disapproval of Israel’s continuing encroachment on Palestinian territory in these settlements. If all countries align with the UN resolution 2334 in unison, the message will be resounding: Give Palestine their just place in the Middle-East!Thank you for taking action!