NCCAR responds to senators who criticized United Church report on Israel Palestine

“Study the issue and come up with your own proposals”

A few weeks ago Senator Nancy Ruth and eight other Canadian Senators sent a public letter to Ms. Mardi Tindal, moderator of the United Church of Canada, criticizing a church report which proposed a boycott of goods produced by illegal Israeli settlers in Occupied Palestinian Territory.

NCCAR has responded in a letter to the Senators, noting that the UCC report came out of an intensive year long study that included a cross Canada tour, meetings with Muslims, Christians and Jews, and a visit to Israel and Palestine. The letter suggests that if senators don’t approve of the recommendations of the UCC, they undertake their own review of Canada’s Israel/Palestine policy and come up with their own proposals to get Israel to follow international law.

After all, the letter notes:

“Canada’s current policy of unqualified support for Israel (even going so far as to define Canada as “Israel’s best friend”) has unfortunately done little to encourage Israel to respect the basic human rights of the Palestinians. On the contrary, it seems to have encouraged Israel to continue with its policy of building more and more settlements on occupied Palestinian territory.”

The full text of the NCCAR letter follows.

A copy of the original letter from the 9 senators is available on the United Church website at: http://www.united-church.ca/files/communications/news/general/120703_senators.pdf

National Council on Canada Arab Relations

116 Promenade du Portage
Gatineau, Québec
J8X 2K1

Hon. Senator Nancy Ruth
Parliament of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario

July 12, 2012

Dear Senator Ruth,

Your letter of June 27^th to United Church Moderator Mardi Tindal, regarding the United Church’s working paper on Israel and Palestine, has been widely reported in the press.

The National Council on Canada-Arab Relations (NCCAR) is very pleased to see that you and the other eight senators are taking an interest in this complex and emotionally charged international issue.

Canada’s current policy of unqualified support for Israel (even going so far as to define Canada as “Israel’s best friend”) has unfortunately done little to encourage Israel to respect the basic human rights of the Palestinians. On the contrary, it seems to have encouraged Israel to continue with its policy of building more and more settlements on occupied Palestinian territory.

As you know, these settlements are illegal under international law, and Canada’s official position, as enunciated on the DFAIT website, is to oppose them.

Your letter expresses reservations about the UCC working group proposal to boycott products produced by Israeli settlers in occupied Palestinian territory. The UCC group came to its conclusions after a year-long study of the whole Israel/Palestine
issue. It heard from expert witnesses across Canada (Muslims, Christians and Jews) and also included a mission to the region in which it met with representatives of both Israelis and Palestinians.

If boycotting products from these illegal settlements is not, in your eyes, a good approach to inducing Israel to respect international law and Canadian policy, perhaps the Senate of Canada might reflect on what other approach might
be more appropriate.

The Senate of Canada has in the past, taken on serious consideration of many complex Canadian policy issues – including Aboriginal Policy and Health Care. Several senate reports have made major contributions to Canadian public policy
by taking a long-term non-partisan approach to difficult challenges.

Reviewing our stance toward Israel/Palestine is one area in which Senators could make a major contribution to Canada.

Our current Canadian policy is clearly failing to ensure security for Jewish Israelis or human rights for Palestinians. It is increasingly questioned by not only the United Church of Canada but also by a wide range of other Christian, Muslim and even some Jewish organizations. It also has been criticized by many respected members of the Canadian diplomatic community, who are concerned that it is causing considerable damage to Canada’s international reputation.

I invite you and other senators to take up a serious review of Canada’s Middle East policy, and bring forward recommendations for public consideration. If you go forward with this, you can count on the support and encouragement of the National Council on Canada Arab Relations.

Thank you in advance.

Peter Larson

Chair
National Education Committee on Israel Palestine
National Council on Canada Arab Relations.

cc: Senator Bert Brown, Senator Yonah Martin, Senator Dennis Patterson, Senator Carolyn Stuart Olsen, Senator Jim Munsen, Senator George Baker, Senator James Cowan, Senator Elisabeth Hubley, Ms. Mardi Tindal, Moderator, United Church of Canada, Senator Pierre DeBané, Co-Chair, Canada Palestine Parliamentary Friendship Group

____________________

email: peter.larson@nccar.ca

Posted on July 17, 2012