Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2006 8:19 PM
Subject: Re: NDP STATEMENT REGARDING SUSPENSION OF DIRECT CANADIAN
AID TO THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY / DÉCLARATION DU NPD AU SUJET DE L'INTERRUPTION
DE L'AIDE DIRECTE DU CANADA À L'AUTORITÉ PALESTINIENNE
Dear Ms. McDonough:
Thank you for your concern about the humanitarian
need of the Palestinians under occupation.
Contrary to your statement, the new Palestinian
government is not calling for the destruction of Israel, as enunciated in the
statement made by its new prime minister.
The call that is made by the US and its allies,
including Canada, on the new Palestinian government is to stop acts of
violence and recognise the state of Israel.
As to violence, Hamas has declared a ceasefire in
Feb. last year and adhered to it. However, Israel is continuing its acts of
murder and bombing and home demolition.
As to recognition of Israel, the question that is
being asked is which Israeli borders is the new Palestinian government is to
recognise? As we explained, in my letter to Mr. Peter MacKay today and copied to
you, Israel has not ceased its expansionist programme since its creation. {
Iwill enclose the contents of our letter below}
We call on you and the NDP to demand, clearly,
Israeli compliance with UN resolutions and terminate completely and
unconditionally its illegal occupation of Palestinian and Syrian territory,
and cease immediately its violation of virtually every article of the Fourth
Geneva Convention. These violations are defined by international law as war
crimes.
Yours sincerely,
Ismail Zayid, MD.
President, Canada Palestine
Association.
Canada Palestine Association
P.O.Box 1085,
Halifax, NS. B3J 2X1
March 29, 2006
The Hon. Mr. Peter MacKay,
Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Ottawa.
Dear Mr. MacKay:
Your Joint Statement today, on new Palestinian
Government, with Ms. Jose'e Verner, International Cooperation Minister,
displays complete disregard to the basic principles of international law. You
call on the new Palestinian Government to recognise the state of Israel and all
previous agreements. Which state of Israel are you asking the new Palestinian
government to recognise? The state of Israel, since its inception, has
refused to define it borders. Israeli first prime minister, David Ben
Gurion stated clearly Israel's expansionist programme. In
1954, after Israel had already occupied half of the state assigned for the
Palestinians, in UN Resolution # 181, thus taking contol of 78% of historic
Palestine, he stated: " To maintain the status quo will not do. We
have set up a dynamic state bent upon axpansion" [Rebirth and
destiny of Israel, The Philosophical Press, New York, 1954, p.419]. This
expansionist programme proceeded to commit wars of aggression in 1956, 1967,
1978, 1982, against Egypt, Syria, Palestine and Lebanon, and continues to this
day in the statements by Israel latest and current prime minister, Ehud Olmert,
who stated only yesterday, that he plans new borders for Israel annexing
the colonies built on illegally occupied territories in East
Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Jordan Valley, as planned in the Sharon
Apartheid Wall, which has been condemned as illegal, by the
International Court of Justice, as illegal and must be
dismantled.
We have been led to believe, Mr. MacKay, that
Canada is proud to uphold the UN Charter and international law. If this is so,
you should be calling on Israel to comply with all UN resolutions, related to
this conflict and terminate completely and unconditionally its illegal
occupation of Palestinian and Syrian territory, that has been allowed to stand
for 39 years, in defiance of international law and Security Council
resolutions.
Yours sincerely,
Ismail Zayid, MD.
President, Canada Palestine
Association.
Ismail Zayid.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2006 6:12
PM
Subject: FW: NDP STATEMENT REGARDING
SUSPENSION OF DIRECT CANADIAN AID TO THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY / DÉCLARATION
DU NPD AU SUJET DE L'INTERRUPTION DE L'AIDE DIRECTE DU CANADA À L'AUTORITÉ
PALESTINIENNE
Alexa
E-Bulletin:
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
MARCH 29, 2006
NDP STATEMENT
REGARDING SUSPENSION OF DIRECT
CANADIAN AID TO
THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY
OTTAWA – NDP Foreign Affairs Critic Alexa McDonough (Halifax) today issued
the following statement:
“The federal government has cut direct funding to the
Palestinian Authority. The NDP recognizes the serious dilemma facing
Canada and all donor countries that the Palestinian Authority has a
President who remains committed to official recognition of the State of
Israel and to the Road Map to peace, while his cabinet is composed of
Hamas members whose party calls for the destruction of Israel.
The NDP supports a peaceful
resolution to this conflict that has cost too many innocent lives on both
sides of the border. The NDP believes that we must continue to condemn all
acts of terror against innocent people, be they Israeli or Palestinian,
and that Canada has a moral responsibility to play a meaningful role in
advancing peace, through diplomatic and financial means.
It is important to note that direct
Canadian assistance has included financial support for judicial reform,
housing initiatives, capacity building, education, improving living
conditions for refugees and economic development in the Palestinian
Authority.
The NDP demands to know how Canada
can reconcile its stated goals of supporting and building democracy in
Palestine with suspension of direct aid for these important
initiatives.
The NDP therefore calls on the
federal government to ensure that all direct assistance funding these
important programs that are now suspended, be redirected to organizations
directly involved in delivery of humanitarian aid and democracy building
in the Palestinian Authority. Any net reduction in aid to the Palestinian
people is shortsighted and counterproductive.”
-30-
For more information, please
contact:
Anthony
Salloum (613) 794-1070