Sent: Friday, January 21, 2005 9:21 PM
Subject: The stand on human rights.
Canada Palestine Association,
P.O.Box, 1085,
Halifax, NS, B3J 2X1
Jan. 21,2005
The Right Hon. Mr. Paul Martin,
Prime Minister,
Ottawa.
Dear Mr. Martin:
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.
Your sincerely,
Ismail Zayid,MD,
President, Canada Palestine
Association.