We also commend you on your statement condemning the offensive caricatures, insulting Islam and Muslims and inciting hatred and racism, as well as your condemnation of the unnecessary violence that resulted.

We heard this morning, in your interview with the CBC TV., your response to the question about the election of Hamas. We do not need to remind you that Hamas was elected by the Palestinian people in a free and a democratic election, to speak for them against corruption and secure freedom for them from an oppressive brutal illegal occupation. Hamas had already declared and maintained a ceasefire last february, while Israel continued to continue its illegal acts against the Palestinian people. The demands on Hamas to recognise Israel are misplaced. Israel has refused, since its inception, to define its borders, as part of its continuing aggressive expansionist ideology. As well, Israel is persisting in building its apartheid wall, built on illegally occupied Palestinian land, and this has been condemned by the International Court of Justice. Thus one may ask, which Israel is Hamas being asked to recognise?

Israel's practices, under this illegal occupation, including extra-judicial assassination, torture, collective punishments, denial of health care, demolition of thousands of homes and expropriation of property for the creation of illegal colonies [settlements], are in violation of virtually every article of the Fourth Geneva Convention. These violations are defined by interntional law as war crimes, and have been condemned by all international human rights bodies, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Israeli human rights groups, including B'Tselem and Israeli League for Human and Civil Rights.

It is time for Canada and all countries, which claim to uphold international law and the UN Charter, to call on Israel to terminate completely and unconditionally its illegal occupation of Palestinian and Syrian land, that has been allowed to stand, since 1967, for over 38 years, in defiance of international law and repeated Security Council resolutions.

Finally, Mr. MacKay, we wish to extend to you, again, our sincere congratulations and hope and trust that you will continue to cherish canadian values and be fair and just in your conduct of Canadian foreign affairs policy.