[Ed. note:   The United Church of Canada Calls government of Canada to support South Africa's case re against Israel before the International Court of Justice.  The full letter is copied here:} 

www.united-church.ca 

January 11, 2024 

3250 Bloor St. West, Suite 200 Toronto, Ontario 

M8X 2Y4 Canada 

The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, P.C., M.P. 

Prime Minister of Canada 

House of Commons 

[email protected] 

[email protected] 

RE: Canada should support South Africa’s application to the ICJ regarding Israel’s breach of its  obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention, and ban arms sales to Israel 

Dear Prime Minister, 

As Israel’s war on Gaza intensifies, I write to amplify the voices of people of The United Church of  Canada and the hundreds of thousands of Canadians urging the government to take moral and decisive  actions to support justice and peace. 

More than 23,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel in Gaza over the past three months, 70% of  them women and children. The population of Gaza is at great risk of dying from disease, dehydration, famine and lack of adequate medical care; Israel intentionally denies access to drinkable water, food,  fuel, and electricity. Israeli politicians have repeatedly called for extreme measures to be imposed on  the people of Gaza, even promoting ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Gaza. 

Under these inhumane conditions, Canada’s decision to offer refugee status to family members of  Canadians in Gaza is needed and welcome. However, this temporary refuge should not impede  Palestinian refugees’ right of return to Gaza, East Jerusalem or the West Bank, or indeed, to all of historic Palestine, in accordance with international law. 

Further, Canada must take every step to end complicity in war crimes and/or crimes against humanity,  and violations of international human rights law, committed in Palestine and Israel. Project  Ploughshares, a Canadian churches’ peace research institute that focuses on disarmament efforts and  international security, released a detailed report outlining just such risks, stating, 

“There is a substantial risk that the export of Canadian military goods to Israel could contribute to  ongoing violations of IHL or IHRL. Therefore, Canadian officials must halt the further transfer of  weapon systems to Israel to meet both its international obligations under the ATT and domestic  obligations under the EIPA. As per Article 4 of the ATT, Canadian officials must also close loopholes  allowing unregulated export of military goods to Israel through the United States.”1 

 The Mission and Service of The United Church of Canada: God’s Mission, Our Gifts La mission et le service de l'Église Unie du Canada : la mission de Dieu, pour nous, par nous 

In light of these factors, I urge Canada to: 

• support South Africa’s application to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to declare Israel in  breach of its obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention. Canada should support  international independent legal mechanisms such as the ICJ to issue a legal opinion on this  issue, and 

• halt the further transfer of weapon systems to Israel to meet both its international obligations  under the ATT and domestic obligations under the EIPA. As per Article 4 of the ATT, Canadian  officials must also close loopholes that allow the unregulated export of military goods to Israel  through the United States,” as called for by Project Ploughshares, of which The United Church  of Canada is a member. Over the past decades there have been numerous opportunities for  Canada to act decisively, without exception and according to its obligations under international  law. I urge Canada to be courageous and respond positively to the requests in this letter. 

Sincerely, 

Rev. Michael Blair 

General Secretary 

The United Church of Canada 

Cc: 

The Hon. Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, [email protected] ; [email protected] The Hon. Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, [email protected] The Hon. Rob Oliphant, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, [email protected] 

The Hon. Michael Chong, Conservative Foreign Affairs critic, [email protected] Heather McPherson, NDP Foreign Affairs Critic, [email protected] Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc Québécois Foreign Affairs critic, [email protected] Elizabeth May, Co-Leader of the Green Party, [email protected] 

Bob Rae, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations in New York, [email protected] 

Lisa Stadelbauer, Ambassador of Canada to Israel, [email protected] David Da Silva, Representative of Canada to the Palestinian Authority, 

[email protected]