A Letter to Canadian PM Stephen Harper By Ismail Zayid

A Letter to Canadian PM Stephen Harper By Ismail Zayid, About his Outrageous Statement, Justifying Israeli war crimes in Gaza and Lebanon

July 19, 2006

http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m24793&l=i&size=1&hd=0

The Right Hon. Mr. Stephen Harper
Prime Minister.

Dear Mr. Harper:

We are shocked to hear of your outrageous statement, condoning and justifying Israeli war crimes in Gaza and Lebanon.

Israeli bombing of the Beirut International Airport, the destruction of roads and bridges, the demolition of power stations, denying electricity and water to millions of people and hospitals, the imposed siege by sea, air and land on Lebanon and the murder, to this date, of more than a 100 innocent civilians, men, women and children, are war crimes that cannot be condoned by any member of the international community. Your description of these actions, as "a measured response", is a challenge and an insult to the English language. Israeli crimes in Gaza and the West Bank have been ongoing long before the Israeli soldier was captured in a military action on June 25. There are over 10,000 Palestinians and Lebanese held in Israeli prisons, without charge or trial. Israel is in illegal occupation of Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese territory for over 39 years, in defiance of international law and repeated Security Council resolutions. international law and the UN Charter entitles people
under foreign occupation to resist such occupation, with all means in their power. Israeli practices throughout this lengthy occupation have included extrajudicial assassination, holding of thousands without charge or trial, torture, daily humiliation at check points, denial of health care, demolition of thousands of homes and expropriation of territory for the creation of illegal settlements. These practices are in violation virtually every article of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and have been condemned by all international human rights bodies, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Israeli human rights action group, B'Tselem. Such violations are defined as war crimes by international law. Article One of the Convention calls on all High Contracting Parties, including Canada, to take action against any state that violates any article in the Convention.

We have always held with pride the claim that Canada upholds international law and the UN Charter. Thus, we find your statements on this critical crisis, that threatens peace in Middle East and world peace, are in violation of this spirit. Thus, we are calling on you and all our political leaders to uphold Canada's reputation and condemn Israeli actions and bring to an end its illegal occupation of all Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese land, in compliance with international law.

Sincerely,

Ismail Zayid, MD.
President,
Canada Palestine Association,
P.O.Box, 1085
Halifax, NS. B3J 2X1

izayid [at] eastlink.ca