October 7, 2023. A historic day indeed. As the morning dawned, the 16-year siege on Gaza was broken along with a comprehensive offensive confronting the occupier by land and air throughout occupied Palestine.
The action named Al-Aqsa Flood comes on the 50th anniversary of the 1973 war in which Egypt reclaimed the occupied Sinai from Zionist occupation, and thirty years after the trickery of the Oslo Agreement.
The deliberate failure of the international community, rests on its unwillingness to address the root causes of the current situation in Palestine–namely, Israel’s settler-colonialism, apartheid, and illegal occupation, along with the continuous denial of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including the right to self-determination. Clinging to a status quo, the international community has failed to take effective and meaningful measures to address these.
Just Peace Advocates was formed in 2018 to expose the complicity of the Canadian government and other Canadian institutions and call for accountability against its complicity.
In light of the current situation, we call on the Canadian government and other institutions within Canada to take immediate and urgent action to stop Israel’s revenge and reprisal against Gaza’s civilian population and civilian objects.
The resistance operation comes in response to the ongoing crimes against the Palestinian people, the extrajudicial killing of Palestinians in the West Bank of occupied Palestine, the siege on Gaza, the theft of land for settlements, pillage of resources, the denial of refugees’ right to return which has imposed exile for over 75 years, the torture and attacks on the Palestinian prisoners, the ongoing invasions of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the 75 years of Zionist occupation and more than 100 years of imperialist domination and colonialism throughout occupied Palestine. It also comes to bring about the liberation of Palestinian prisoners, as part and parcel of the Palestinian people and land.
News is emerging rapidly; however, it seems clear that the Palestinian resistance is determined to reset the status quo in the region and show the reality that the Zionist regime can no longer rely on its technological strength and imperialist weaponry to impose its domination on the Palestinian people.
Coming as it does on the 50th anniversary of the 1973 war, it is a decisive rebuke to the entire path of Oslo and normalization imposed upon the Palestinian and Arab people for the past 50 years, indicating a new path forward with a clear goal of liberation.
Just Peace Advocates calls on people to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, raising the Palestinian flags and banners, organizing, and joining popular demonstrations and events to expose the Zionist crimes, and holding our own imperial governments, media, institutions and corporations accountable for their complicity in war crimes, apartheid and human rights violations.
Canada as a high signatory of the Fourth Geneva Convention to under Article 1 ensure that violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention do not occur under any circumstance. When Canada or other signatories fail to do so, they themselves are complicit with war crimes.
This is not about performative gestures like labeling products from settlements or supposed development programs for women.
Rather it is about using diplomatic and economic measures to hold Israel to account for its war crimes.
It is about speaking out clearly about universal human rights, and the rights of those under occupation. It is about calling clearly for the right of return. It is about stopping the flow of taxpayer subsidized charity funds to Israeli military settler organizations, and about taking action to stop illegal Israeli military recruiting in Canada. It is about taking solid, tangible steps to expose the complicity of our own governments and institutions with Israeli war crimes, apartheid, and human right violations. The liberation will come from within Palestine, but we have a role to play to expose and call for an end of the infrastructure provided by our own countries to support the Zionist project.
Accountability is the key to ending Israeli crimes, with Third States sharing responsibility for its consequences. We call on the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to expedite the investigation into the Situation in Palestine with full resources and onsite visits as promised in December 2022. Canada’s shameful stance on the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court is not only embarrassing but is counter to the rule of law. We stress that if no immediate action is taken by the international community to hold Israel accountable for the international crimes committed against the Palestinian people, more civilian casualties will follow, and destruction will continue to take place.
The resistance is making clear that despite the might, technology, weapons and brutality of the occupier, the promise of liberation gives not just Palestine but people throughout the world hope.
However, in the immediate moment, the international community needs to take a clear stance against the relentless bombing and killing of civilians by Israeli attacks targeted at Palestinian civilians and civilian infrastructure throughout Gaza. International humanitarian law dictates that, during hostilities, civilians and civilian objects must be protected against direct and indiscriminate attacks.
We concur with the call made by Palestinian human rights organizations, that Canada immediately intervene with all necessary means to cease Israel’s attacks against the Palestinian people, and to impose sanctions and an arms embargo on Israel. In line with international obligations, the international community must cooperate to bring Israel’s illegal occupation as a continuing act of aggression since 1967 to an end; ensure the dismantling of the occupying administration and the full and unconditional withdrawal of all Israeli occupying forces from the territory, and the dismantling Israel’s apartheid regime.
Check out the Calendar of Resistance for Palestine! Events and actions around the world.
We recommend following Resistance News Network on Telegram, https://t.me/PalestineResist for up-to-the-minute news updates in English.
Read statement from Al-Haq regarding international and member state accountability.
From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.
Be sure to check out legal and tactic resources including
Photo credit:
Palestinian artist: Beesan Arafat
Instagram: beesanarafat
“The Bulldozer”
