Canadian parliament petitions Ottawa to act against Israel

Campaigners accuse Israel of systematic use of violence against Palestinian children in clear violation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

By Ufuk Necat Tasci

Nov 11, 2021

Israel is accused of systematic use of violence against Palestinian children in clear violation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. / Reuters

At least 1261 campaigners at the Canadian parliament have signed a petition urging the government to take action against Israel for using violence against Palestinian children.

The campaign was launched by Liberal Party Toronto Deputy Salma Zahid on the official website of the Federal Parliament.

"Protecting the rights of children around the world is a priority of the Canadian government. As a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Israel has an absolute obligation to prevent torture and ill-treatment of children in line with international juvenile justice standards," campaigners said in a written text addressed to the Canadian State.

In the text, which recorded that violence and human rights violations against Palestinian children have been investigated and documented by international human rights groups for more than 30 years, it was pointed out that Canada should take action to prevent violations under all circumstances, in accordance with Article 1 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

"We, the undersigned, call on the Canadian government to undertake urgent work by parliament's International Subcommittee on Human Rights to review Israel's treatment of children in occupied Palestine, in view of its obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child," campaigners said.

Anti-Israel drones’ campaign

Meanwhile, 55 different non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Canada have launched a campaign against Israeli drones, urging Ottawa to stop purchasing 5 billion dollars of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from Israel.

With the campaign initiated by the organisation called bdscoalition.ca, which was established to boycott goods of Israeli origin, the participants are asked to sign a letter addressed to the Minister of Transport, Omar Alghabara, who is the only Muslim minister of the Canadian government, demanding that the purchase of Israeli UAVs be discontinued.

In the campaign letter, which draws attention to the fact that Israel's remotely controlled aircraft system (RPAS) and unmanned aerial vehicles have been tested on thousands of civilians, especially Palestinians, the letter demands a ban on the purchase of all kinds of military equipment from Israel.

In the meantime, the fire on the cargo ship of the Israeli company ZIM, which has been waiting since 5 November off the coast of Victoria, Canada, was also included in the campaign letter.

Reminding that ZIM is Israel's largest cargo shipping company, the letter noted that Israeli weapons are routinely transported from Canadian ports to their final destinations through this company.

In the letter, it was stated that the authority and responsibility of the Canadian ports belong to the Ministry of Transport, and it was noted that this situation of the ZIM company made the government complicit in the pressure applied to the Palestinians.

“Cancel the $5 billion contract process for armed drone surveillance and the drone contract for arctic surveillance. Prohibit ZIM vessels from accessing Canadian ports. End military-security cooperation with Israel by placing a two-way arms embargo and end all arms trade with Israel,” the letter concluded.