 
Concerning the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict
A Letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs
13 March 2002
Honourable Bill Graham
Minister of Foreign Affairs
125 Sussex Dr.
Ottawa, ON K1A 0G2
Dear Mr. Graham:
We are writing you on behalf KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice
Initiatives, a coalition of Canadian churches and church-affiliated
organizations, regarding the serious intensification of the Israeli/Palestinian
conflict that has occurred over the past several days.
The last 18 months have been filled with horrifying violence and
a steady increase in injury and deaths, but this past week has witnessed
new heights in the wanton disregard for life and property. Israeli
military incursions into densely populated areas, such as the refugee
camps in Bethlehem and most recently, the total occupation of Ramallah,
and Palestinian reprisals in the form of suicide bombings and rifle
attacks, have resulted in dozens of civilian deaths.
Indiscriminate shelling in heavily populated areas, like the refugee
camps, is guaranteed to produce large numbers of civilian casualties.
There are also reports that Palestinian ambulances and Red Cross
workers are being denied access to the injured and dying and in
some cases have been directly targeted themselves.
In your recent comments on the Middle East, and in particular,
your speech to the Canada-Israel Committee on March 6, you have
expressed outrage at the acts of Palestinian terrorism which have
killed Israeli civilians. We also condemn this aggression against
innocent people, as we express outrage when Palestinian civilians
are targeted by the Israeli Defence Forces.
Israeli leaders are keenly aware that a major part of their battle
is for international public opinion. As the envelope of military
aggression is pushed, international response is tested to see what
will be "permissible." Silence from Israel's allies signals
that the envelope can be pushed still further without repercussions.
While your March 6 reference to unjustifiable Israeli military practices
was courageous, when you refer to Israeli deaths as the result of
"terrorism" and to Palestinian deaths as casualties of
war, you send a message which suggests that the latter are unfortunate
'facts of life' while the former are criminal.
An immediate cease-fire must be implemented to avoid massive further
casualties. UN monitors are desperately needed to make such a cease-fire
hold. Israel has long resisted the presence of UN monitors and we
ask that you stress to the Israelis their utility for ensuring the
security of both peoples.
While it is important that we express our opposition to any and
all contraventions of humanitarian law and seek to bring a cease-fire
to this troubled region, it is even more critical to deal with the
roots of this ever-escalating violence. The churches have consistently
stated that addressing the illegal Occupation of Palestinian Territories
by Israel is fundamental. Canada's official position holds the Occupation
to be illegal and in contravention of UN Security Resolutions 242
and 338. However, the Canadian government also believes - a fact
that your March 6 speech reiterates - that the implementation of
these UN resolutions must be negotiated between Palestinians and
Israelis.
While acknowledging the importance of negotiations between the
conflicting parties, we believe that there are also times when international
law must simply be implemented. We think this is a direction that
ultimately may avoid many more years of bloodshed and misery in
the Middle East and ask you to consider support for such an initiative.
During the seven years following the Oslo Accords, Israel doubled
its illegal settlements and deepened the Occupation. The so-called
1990s "peace process" illustrates clearly that negotiations
between two vastly unequal parties are unlikely to produce a settlement
based on international law.
We believe that Canada is strategically positioned to be a fair
and constructive presence in the Middle East conflict. As a country
that seeks to uphold human rights principles and international law,
we could play a pivotal role in bringing a rules-based peace to
that region. We urge you to engage all the resources of your government
in pursuit of this end.
Sincerely,
Pat Steenberg,
Executive Director
Dale Hildebrand,
Team Leader, Global Partnerships Program
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