The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians Legal Working Group for Canadian Accountability (ICJP LWGCA) has announced its intention to prosecute Canadian officials for aiding and abetting alleged Israeli war crimes.
Since Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, which killed over 1,400 civilians, Israel has carried out a bombing campaign of the Palestinian territory of Gaza and has cut the 2.5 million inhabitants off from food, water and electricity.
The UN has called Israel’s campaign in Gaza as being collective punishment of a civilian population, which is a war crime under international law.
The death toll in Gaza exceeds 11,000 with over 4,000 of those being children.
“Despite this, the Canadian government has continued to pledge its steadfast support for Israel. It has also refused to halt arms exports, refused to take action to prevent the illegal recruitment of Canadian volunteers to assist Israel’s military, and refused to stop millions of dollars from being unlawfully sent by some Canadian organizations with charitable status to benefit Israel’s military,” reads a statement from ICJP.
The ICJP says that they have issued notices to prosecute Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly, Minister of National Revenue Marie-Claude Bibeau and Minister of Justice Arif Virani.
They are calling on the government to ask for a ceasefire in the conflict and to stop both the government and Canadian non-profit agencies from sending support to Israel, as well as prosecute those who are recruiting for the Israeli military in Canada.
The statement continues: “ICJP LWGCA continues to gather evidence in relation to the conduct of Canadian officials and intends to pursue all appropriate courses of action to ensure that those responsible for aiding and abetting war crimes are held accountable before the International Criminal Court and in other appropriate legal forums.”
Palestinian Canadians share stories of suffering and pain
Hammam Farah is a Palestinian-Canadian and his family is a part of the Christian-Palestinian community living in Gaza.
During a press conference on Wednesday, November 15, organized by the Canadian Foreign Policy Institute and Just Peace Advocates, Farah shared the trauma his family members that are still in Gaza have been experiencing.
Farah’s aunt, named Ilham, was trying to return to her home when he said she was shot in the leg below the knee allegedly by an Israeli sniper.
“She couldn’t move. She took out her phone and called her family, who called her neighbours,” said Farah. “The neighbours said everyone could see her. That she was out in the open, but no one could get to her because of the snipers in the area.”
Tragically, Ilham died of her wounds, and her family and neighbours were unable to retrieve her body.
“My family went to the Red Cross to petition the Israeli military to get her body, [and] there was no response,” said Farah. “The Red Cross said that even the bodies they knew were dead they weren’t able to obtain.”
Ayman Oweida, another Palestinian-Canadian and a professor at the University of Sherbrooke, shared his story as well of the plight his family members in Gaza were facing.
Oweida said that a branch of his family on his wife’s father’s side had lost eight members in a bombing by the Israeli military, including three children.
“How will my wife hold the Israeli government accountable for the murder of these innocent lives,” Oweida said.
Oweida went on to explain that even without the fear of bombs and snipers, many Palestinians in Gaza were struggling against a lack of food, water and access to medicines. Oweida asked: “Doesn’t our government see the sick and the frail who need their medicine, Who are in pain?”
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