We applaud your stand on human rights, as expressed today in China, where you stated that your stand on human rights is " persistent and consistent." However, we are disappointed to note that this "consistency" is not applied to the Israeli practices of continuing violation of the basic human rights of the Palestinians. We recall your statement in last November, before the Canada Jewish Advocacy Group, where you sated that :"Nothing will shake Canada's commitment to Israel."

It is quite obvious that Israeli practices, including extra-judicial assassination, detention of thousands without charge or trial, torture, daily humiliation, demoilition of thousands of homes and expropriation of land for the creation of illegal Jewish settlements, are in violation of virtually every article of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and thus tantamount to war crimes, as defined by international law. These practices have been repeatedly condemned by the UN Human Rights Commission, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and all Israeli human rights group, incuding B'Tselem, and the Israeli League for Human and Civil Rights.

We trust, Sir, that your "persistent and consistent" stand on human rights will not remain selective and will apply to the continuing violation of the human rights of Palestinians under the illegal Israeli occupation.