From: Ismail Zayid

To: letters@straight.com

Sent: Friday, June 29, 2007 10:36 PM

Subject: Is Israel subject to international law?!

Canada Palestine Association,

P.O.Box, 1085,

Halifax, NS, B3J 2X1

Tel: 902. 429 .9100

      902.275.4898

June 29, 2007

The Editor,

Georgia Straight.

Dear Editor:

Howard Rotberg attacks, in his letter June 28, the statements made by Naomi Klein, which describe accurately the situation in the Palestinian Occupied Territories.

He states that "Israel turned over Gaza to the Palestinians without any quid pro quo." What an extraordinary act of generosity?!! Do we need to remind Mr. Rotberg that Israel has been maintaining an opressive illegal occupation of Gaza and the West Bank for 40 years in defiance of international law and repeated Security Council resolutions? Israeli practices in the occupied territories inclue extra judicial assassination, holding thousands of prisoners without charge or trial, torture, daily humiliation, denial of health care, demolition of thousands of homes and expropriation of property for the creation of illegal colonies. These practices are in clear violation of virtually every article of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and are identified as war crimes, by international law.

Israel's so-called disengagement of the Gaza Strip is a charade as clearly described by Dov Weisglass, Sharon's chief advisor, who stated:" Just in case someone may still have illusions, he explains that the proposed disengagement "is actually formaldehyde. It supplies the amount of formaldehyde that is necessary so there will not be a political process with the Palestinians." As Ephraim Sneh, a Labor member of the Knesset, observed, "Formaldehyde, it should be noted, is the liquid in which dead bodies are preserved." {Haaretz. Oct. 6, 2004}

This disengagement has simply turned Gaza into a large open prison, with Israel in total control of all means of access to Gaza including by air, land and sea.

It is time that Israel's apologists must begin to understand that this illegal occupation must be copletely terminated, in compliance with international law, or are we to understand that Israel is above international law?

Sincerely,

Ismail Zayid,

President, Canada Palestine Association.