To: min.dfaitmaeci@international.gc.ca

Sent: Wednesday, August 01, 2007 10:14 PM

Subject: Re: A04748-2007 IN REPLY TO YOUR EMAILS OF NOVEMBER 12 AND DECEMBER 24, 2006, AND FEBRUARY 28, 2007

The Right Honourable Mr. Peter MacKay,

Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Dear Mr. MacKay:

Thank you for your message responding to my earlier correspondence.

Interestingly, you refer to a number of issues but the word "occupation" seems to have no place in your statement. Surely Canada, a country that continues to claim to uphold the UN Charter and the Geneva Convention, should speak loudly and clearly in condemning the Israeli practices against the Palestinian people under occupation, which stand in violation of virtually every article of the Fourth Geneva Convention and are considered under international law as war crimes. Canada should call clearly for the need for Israel to terminate completely its illegal occupation of Palestinian and Syrian territory, that has been allowed to stand for 40 years, in defiance of international law and Security Council resolutions. Do I need to remind you that when Iraq illegally occupied Kuwait in 1990 and one Security Council resolution was passed, and when Iraq did not withdraw within weeks, nearly a million troops were sent and Iraq was expelled from Kuwait and its infrastructure was demolished and sanctions were imposed for twelve years, because it was said that one part of that Security Council resolution was not implemented, related to the need for weapons of mass destruction must be eliminated from the entire Middle East? Yet, surprisnigly, the only country in the Middle East, namely Israel, that holds hundreds of nuclear weapons is never asked to comply with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Furthermore, no one called then for negotiation between Kuwaitis and Iraqis for the termination of this illegal occupation. But Palestinians are required to beg and plead for negotiations with Israel for their right to be free in their own land.

You speak of the importance of Israeli security. This security will be assured when Israel complies with international law and terminate completely its illegal occupation of its neighbours' territory. An occupying power cannot demand security from people under occupation,when it contiues to demolish their homes, subject them to daily humiliation, imprisonment of thousands without charge or trial, torture, extra-judicial assassination, and expropriation of their property for the creation of illegal settlements. Furthermore all The Arab League states, in their Summit meeting in Beirut in 2002, offered and still continue to offer Israel full diplomatic relations if it will terminate its illegal occupation and comply with the Right of Return for the Palestinian refugees, who were systematically ethnically- cleansed from their homeland, in 1948 and 1967.. This Right of Return for the refugees is affirmed in Article 13, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the repeatedly reaffirmed UNGA Resolution # 194, of Dec. 1948. It may be of interest to draw your attention to the fact that Israel was admitted to the UN on the basis of UNGA reolution # 273, of May 11, 1949, conditional on Israeli compliance with the Partition resolution, of UNGA # 181, of Nov. 29, 1947 and UNGA Resolution # 194, which I referred to above. Needless to say, Israel has refused to comply with either of these resolutions after nearly 60 years..

Finally, I thank you for expressed concern and interest in this tragic conflict and plead with you that our country, Canada, should stand firmly by its committment to the UN Charter and international law against all those who violate these laws. Canada has a reputation of concern for peace, human rights and justice, and this reputation must not be sacrificed to please anybody.

Thank you for your attention.

Yours sincerely,

Ismail Zayid, MD.

President, Canada Palestine Association