Presented by: Ligue des droits et libertés du Québec
The International Federation of Human Rights Leagues, assembling at its 38th Congress:
RECALLS THAT FIDH is a federation of 164 organisations committed to defending
and applying the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to promoting democracy and the rule of law, to effectively, universally and indivisibly applying the Conventions, Pacts and international mechanisms that defend human rights;
RECALLS THAT FIDH strives to combat injustice, arbitrariness, impunity, war crimes and human rights violations;
CONSIDERS THAT, by its unconditional support of the State of Israel, the Government of Canada sanctions human rights violations committed by Israel towards the Palestine people and are in fact supporting:
– the occupation and colonization of Palestine, in contravention of the Geneva Conventions and U.N. resolutions;
– the Apartheid Wall, in contravention of the judgement of the International Criminal Court;
– the blockage of Gaza, contravening International Rights which are against mass retribution and the restriction of fundamental freedom;
– the situation which makes Israel an Apartheid State, since according to the statements of many legal professionals, including Israelis, the State is in violation of numerous dispositions of the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid, one of which is « through the persecution of organizations and persons who oppose apartheid by depriving them of their fundamental rights and freedoms »;
CONSIDERS THAT Canada rejected Judge Goldstone’s report which accused the Israeli army of war crimes committed during its 2008-2009 Operation Cast Lead in Gaza which led to 1,500 civilian deaths and thousands of injured, in addition to destroying most of this society’s infrastructure;
CONSIDERS THAT Canada unreservedly supported Israel‘s pounding of GAZA in November 2012, resulting in more than 150 civilian deaths;
CONSIDERS THAT Canada voted against the U.N.’s resolution giving Palestine observer state status, judging that the request by Palestine was a «unilateral» move, causing Canada to harden its stance toward Palestine, notably anticipating retaliatory measures;
REPROACHES the Government of Canada for the contempt that is shown by these positions toward international human rights and U.N. resolutions;
REMINDS Canada, that as a member state of the U.N., it should abide by the objectives of the United Nations Charter, being:
– To maintain international peace and security, and to that end: to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace, and to bring about by peaceful means, and in conformity with the principles of justice and international law, adjustment or settlement of international disputes or situations which might lead to a breach of the peace;
– To develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and to take other appropriate measures to strengthen universal peace;
– To achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character, and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion; and
– To be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations in the attainment of these common