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“It’s a moment of truth. History will judge us all. It was the worst warning » from the Secretary-General of the United Nations on October 27 as he pleaded for concrete actions to end the massacres and suffering taking place in Israel and Palestine. Canada played a key role in creation of the current international framework for the prevention of systematic and large-scale crimes against civilians, known collectively as mass atrocities. The Canadian government should now ensure that atrocity prevention is at the center of its response to the current Israeli-Palestinian crisis.
The risk factors for mass atrocities are evident, with Israeli authorities and Palestinian armed groups signaling their disregard for civilian lives. The early warning signs are also clearly visible and include hateful and dehumanizing speech; statements threatening harm to civilians; and serious violations of laws of war this amount to war crimes.
For Palestinians stuck in Gaza, UN officials described:indescribable suffering” And “horror for a million children,” And warned that “people will start to die of severe dehydration” and that “without electricity, hospitals risk turning into morgues. In this alarming context, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories felt the need to remind countries of their “responsibility to prevent and protect populations against atrocity crimes”.
Canadians have always been at the forefront of these efforts. In January 1994, General Roméo Dallaire, then commander of the UN peacekeeping force in Rwanda, sent a telegram to his superiors warning them of a massive, coordinated massacre of civilians. He Many times demanded a stronger mandate, more troops and equipment to save lives, but his urgent requests and warnings were ignored. What followed was a genocide that remains a stain on our collective conscience.
The international community’s complete failure to prevent mass atrocities in Rwanda and the Balkans led another Canadian, then UN Ambassador Allan Rock, to lead a successful campaign effort at the end of the 1990s to guarantee adoption of a set of principles intended to underline the collective responsibility of the international community to protect civilians when governments are powerless or unwilling to end the bloodshed. THE Responsibility to protect (R2P), adopted unanimously by UN member states in 2005, aimed to reconcile state sovereignty with the moral and legal imperative to intervene to prevent mass atrocities.
Canada has also historically been a leader in international accountability. She played a central role in the creation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and has recently championed efforts to combat serious crimes committed in Syria And Ukraine. But as the experts did note, preventing large-scale loss of civilian life requires three things: early warning, a preventive action toolbox and political will. Unfortunately, the political will to act is very rare in Canada.
The Canadian government has rightly denounced the odious Led by Hamas attacks against Israel, in which around 1,400 people were killed, including hundreds of civilians, according to the Israeli government. However, he failed to condemn the Israeli government’s violations of war laws in Gaza. Instead, Canada reiterates that Israel should act “in accordance with international law,” even though it is clear that these standards are being ignored.
While the Canadian government has announced new humanitarian aid packages for the Palestinians, he did not denounce Israeli authorities for deliberately preventing vital relief supplies from entering Gaza, a war crime, as is the case for the Palestinians. collective punishment civilian populations for the actions of armed groups.
Despite Canada approval Following a new political declaration on explosive weapons calling on states to restrict or refrain from their use in populated areas due to the high risk of harm to civilians, the Trudeau government has not condemned their repeated use in the densely populated Gaza Strip. The Canadian government has also remained silent on Israel’s current use of white phosphorus, incendiary material that burns human flesh and can cause lifelong suffering, including people areas in Gaza and Lebanon. More than 10,500 Palestinians, including more than 4,300 children, have been killed in Gaza since October 7, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
The Israeli authorities have a long track record of violate the laws of war and commit war crimes, as Human Rights Watch did documented during Before series of hostilities. But Canada’s indecisive position towards Israel is not new. Before the current hostilities, the Trudeau government repeatedly showed itself blind eye to the systematic repression of the Israeli authorities and the serious abuses committed against the Palestinians, which Israeli, PalestinianAnd international organizations found the amount of the ongoing lawsuits crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution. Despite the need when it comes to justice and accountability, Canada has shown no signs of reviewing its opposition to the ICC exercising jurisdiction over serious crimes committed in the occupied Palestinian territory.
The Canadian government’s position departs from Canada’s historical legacy of action to prevent and combat serious international crimes. But it is not too late to reverse the trend. Prime Minister Trudeau can choose to act on these warning signs and not remain a silent spectator to atrocities. His government can impartially and principledly condemn not only the actions of Palestinian armed groups, but also those of the Israeli government.
The current crisis highlights the need for Canada to express its support for accountability at the ICC. Canada should also unequivocally condemn violations of international humanitarian law, call on all those responsible to put an end to the abuses, and to suspend military assistance and arms sales to Israel as long as its forces commit serious and widespread abuses against Palestinian civilians with impunity.
Ultimately, Canada can clearly state that the lives of Palestinians and Israelis are equally valuable and that both have the right to dignity, freedom and protection from violence. The current situation is dangerous and untenable, and Canada should do everything it can to prevent mass atrocities.
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