Letter to Canadian Prime Minister (January 2024)

<via email to justin.trudeau@parl.gc.ca and melanie.joly@parl.gc.ca

__________

January 23, 2024

The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, P.C., M.P.

Office of the Prime Minister

80 Wellington Street

Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2

Re: The Israel-Hamas War

Dear Prime Minister:

Two articles in today's online New York Times raise additional concerns about how Israel is conducting its war against Hamas. The first, 'Israel bulldozes more of Gaza as its invasion continues to advance south' reports that Israel is bulldozing large areas of Gaza that have come under its military control since the war began. The second, 'Stripped, Beaten or Vanished: Israel’s Treatment of Gaza Detainees Raises Alarm,' reports possible human rights violations in Israel’s treatment of Gazans detained during the war.

These stories suggest an even darker side to Israel's war campaign than the world has witnessed these past four months. There have been reports that high-ranking officials in the Israeli government have discussed permanently displacing the Gazans. Is what we see in the satellite images evidence that would support the belief that Israel is undertaking not just the forced dislocation of Palestinians from northern Gaza, but from Gaza period? And, with respect to the alleged treatment of detainees, what exactly is the status of these people? Are they prisoners of war entitled to protection under the international rules of war? If not, what legal (e.g., humanitarian) protections do they have?

Based on Canada's understanding of what's going in Gaza, can you confirm or disconfirm either of these stories?

Regarding Canada's clarified position on the South African filing of genocide charges against Israel in the International Court of Justice, I'm pleased that Canada is adopting a position that respects international jurisdiction and is not prejudging the case as I feel the U.S. is doing. I would not expect the U.S. to take any other position though as it is still living in the past, and frankly, a critical verdict by the Court would be correctly perceived as a warning to U.S. exceptionalism.

In a letter I wrote to your attention on October 12th, I took strong issue with what I considered to be CUPE's [Canadian Union of Public Employees] endorsement of the October 7th Hamas attack. I still feel that way, but as I also pointed out in that letter, I thought that going forward it would be important to ensure that Israel, in its revenge and deterrence, did not commit its own war crimes. I was reminded of the American overreaction to the September 11th attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. with the illegal war against Iraq in 2003, two more failed American wars in Asia and a perverted sense of wartime human rights.

Unfortunately, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has done Israel no favours, first by allowing the Hamas attack to happen in the first place, second by inciting Israel to a Biblical-form of retaliation in disregard for the norms of international law, and third by refusing to countenance a peaceful settlement of the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian land dispute (which encompasses so much more than just real estate.) Thomas Friedman of the New York Times recently said in an interview with Ezra Klein that Netanyahu "is not only the worst leader in Israel’s history [but] the worst leader in Jewish history." Presumably, a large number of Gazans would join us in feeling the same way about Hamas. So, we have two of the worst possible leaders in a region that has long been one of the deadliest.

Canada would do well to be a leader in working towards immediate humanitarian relief to Gazans and long-term peace between Israelis and Palestinians. That leadership role will not likely come from either the U.S. or Europe. But Canada has the opportunity to become a world player again but in the interest of peace, and that of course is important for Canada's position in the world but also for Canada as a nation of immigrants from all over the world.

Regards,

Peter McMillan

c.c.: Hon. Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs