The Canadian BDS Coalition and many of its member organizations have joined over 100 global organizations to demand a two-way arms embargo on Israel, stopping both the sale of weapons to Israel and the purchase of Israeli weaponry, often “battle-tested” on Palestinians and Arabs throughout occupied Palestine, Lebanon and Syria.
Canada has been a party to the Arms Trade Treaty since 2009, but continues to engage in weapons trade with Israel and other human rights violating regimes in violation of its treaty obligations. The Coalition urges all to join the #NoIsraeliArms4Canada campaign, calling to end the procurement process for $5 billion in armed drones. An Israeli arms company is a leading bidder in that open procurement process.
Already, over 50 organizations have joined the campaign and 1,000 people across Canada have written to the Minister of Transport, Omar Alghabra, responsible for the procurement process. Click here to read and sign the letter.
Open Letter to the States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty on the Need to Impose a Comprehensive Two-Way Arms Embargo on Israel
We, the undersigned global coalition of leaders –from civil society to academia, art, media, business, politics, indigenous and faith communities, and people of conscience around the world– call upon the States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) to act decisively to put an end to Israel’s notorious use of arms and military equipment for the commission of serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights against Palestinian civilians by immediately imposing a comprehensive two-way arms embargo on Israel.
In the spring of 2021, the world once again watched in horror as Israeli occupying forces attacked defenceless Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and inside Israel. Palestinian civilians peacefully protesting against colonisation of their land were assaulted with live fire, rubber-coated steel bullets, sound bombs, tear gas and skunk water. Israel’s deadly military aggression against the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip was the fourth in a decade. Over 11 days, 248 Palestinians were killed, including 66 children. Thousands were wounded, and the reverberating effects of the use of explosive weapons on hospitals, schools, food security, water, electricity and shelter continue to affect millions.
This systematic brutality, perpetrated throughout the past seven decades of Israel’s colonialism, apartheid, pro-longed illegal belligerent occupation, persecution, and closure, is only possible because of the complicity of some governments and corporations around the world.
Symbolic statements of condemnation alone will not put an end to this suffering. In accordance with the relevant rules of the ATT, States Parties have legal obligations to put an end to irresponsible and often complicit trade of conventional arms that undermines international peace and security, facilitates commission of egregious crimes, and threatens the international legal order.
Under Article 6(3) of the ATT, States Parties undertook not to authorise any transfer of conventional arms if they have knowledge at the time of authorisation that arms or items would be used in the commission of genocide, crimes against humanity, grave breaches of the Geneva conventions of 1949, attacks directed against civilian objects or civilians protected as such, or other war crimes as defined by international agreements to which they are a Party.
Under Articles 7 and 11, they undertook not to authorise any export of conventional arms, munitions, parts and components that would, inter alia, undermine peace and security or be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law.
It is clear that arms exports to Israel are inconsistent with these obligations. Invariably, Israel has shown that it uses arms to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity, as documented by countless United Nations bodies and civil society organisations worldwide. Military exports to Israel also clearly enabled, facilitated and maintained Israel’s decades-long settler-colonial and apartheid regime imposed over the Palestinian people as a whole.
Similarly, arms imports from Israel are wholly inconsistent with obligations under the ATT. Israeli military and industry sources openly boast that their weapons and technologies are “combat proven” – in other words, field-tested on Palestinian civilians “human test subjects”. When States import Israeli arms, they are encouraging it to keep bombing Palestinian civilians and persist in its unlawful practices. No one –neither Israel, nor arms manufacturers in ATT States parties– should be allowed to profit from the killing or maiming of Palestinian civilians.
It is thus abundantly clear that imposing a two-way arms embargo on Israel is both a legal and a moral obligation. ATT States Parties must immediately terminate any current, and prohibit any future transfers of conventional arms, munitions, parts and components referred to in Article 2(1), Article 3 or Article 4 of the ATT to Israel, until it ends its illegal belligerent occupation of the occupied Palestinian territory and complies fully with its obligations under international law. Pending such an embargo, all States must immediately suspend all transfers of military equipment, assistance and munitions to Israel.
A failure to take these actions entails a heavy responsibility for the grave suffering of civilians – more deaths, more suffering, as thousands of Palestinian men, women and children continue to bear the brutality of a colonial belligerent occupying force– which would result in discrediting the ATT itself. It also renders States parties complicit in internationally wrongful acts through the aiding or abetting of international crimes. A failure in taking action could also result in invoking the individual criminal responsibility of individuals of these States for aiding and abetting the commission of war crimes and crimes against humanity in accordance with Article 25(3)(c) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
Justice will remain elusive so long as Israel’s unlawful occupation, settler-colonialism, apartheid regime, and persecution and institutionalised oppression of the Palestinian people are allowed to continue, and so long as States continue to be complicit in the occupying Power’s crimes by trading weapons with it.
In conclusion, we believe that the ATT can make a difference in the Palestinian civilians’ lives. It has the potential, if implemented in good faith, to spare countless protected persons from suffering. If our call to stop leaving the Palestinian people behind when it comes to implementation of the ATT is ignored, the raison d’être of the ATT will be shattered.
Joining organisations:
- Action Sécurité Ethique Républicaines
- Adalah Justice Project
- Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association
- AFPS 63
- Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
- Aldameer Association for Human Rights
- Al-Haq, Law in the Service of Man
- Alrowwad Cultural and Arts Society
- American Muslims for Palestine
- Anglican Pacifist Fellowship
- Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem (ARIJ)
- Arab Canadian Lawyers Association
- Arab Organization for Human Rights
- Argenteuil Solidarité Palestine
- Asociación Americana de Juristas
- Association Belgo-Palestinienne WB
- Association femmes plurielles
- Association France Palestine Solidarité (AFPS)
- AssoPacePalestina
- Australia Palestine Advocacy Network
- Australian Centre for International Justice
- Australians For Palestine
- Badayl
- BDS Australia
- Begian Campaign for Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel
- Campagne BDS France
- Canadian BDS Coalition
- Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME)
- Center for Constitutional Rights
- Center for International Policy
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Estudios Estratégicos para la Seguridad y el Desarrollo Social CIESED A.C.
- CNAPD – Coordination Nationale d’Action pour la Paix et la Démocratie
- Coalition for Justice and Peace in Palestine
- Collectif 69 de Soutien au Peuple Palestinien
- Collectif BDS 57
- Collectif Judéo Arabe et Citoyen pour la Palestine
- Colombian Campaign to Ban Landmines
- Columban missionaries Britain
- Columbia Law Students for Palestine
- Combatants for Peace
- Comitato BDS Campania
- Comité de Solidaridad con la Causa Árabe
- Comité pour une Paix Juste au Proche-Orient asbl
- Community Action Center – Al-Quds University
- Confederación Intersindical Gallega (CIG)
- Cultura è Libertà, una campagna per la Palestina
- Dagropass
- De Palestijnse gemeenschap in Nederland
- Defense for Children -Palestine (DCI-Palestine)
- Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN)
- docP – BDS Netherlands
- Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights
- European Coordination of Committees and Associations for Palestine (ECCP)
- European Legal Support Center
- Femmes Unies pour la Paix dans la région des Grands Lacs
- FILEF Sydney Federation of Italian Migrant Workers
- Finnish-Arab Friendship Society
- Friends of Palestine Tasmania Inc
- Gaza Action Ireland
- Gesellschaft Schweiz Palästina GSP/ASP
- Global Kairos Asia Pacific Solidarity For Palestine (GKAPS)
- Good Shepherd Collective
- Housing and Land Rights Network
- Human Rights and Democratic Participation Center “SHAMS”
- Human Rights Network Nigeria
- ICAHD Finland
- ICAHD UK
- Independent Jewish Voices Canada
- Indian Writers Forum
- Indo Palestine Solidarity Forum
- International Organization for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (EAFORD)
- International Women’s Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific
- Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign
- Jewish Voice For Peace
- Jews for Palestinian Right of Return
- Just Peace Advocates/Mouvement Pour Une Paix Juste
- Karapatan
- Kenya Human Rights Commission
- Labor for Palestine
- Manushya Foundation
- National Association of Democratic Lawyers (South Africa)
- National Justice & Peace Network (NJPN)
- National Lawyers Guild, Palestine Subcommittee
- Nederlands Palestina Komitee
- Newweapons research group
- Niagara Movement for Justice in Palestine-Israel (NMJPI)
- North Notts Unite Community
- NOVACT
- Oakville Palestinian Rights Association
- Palestine Solidarity Network – Edmonton
- Palestinian and Jewish Unity
- Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR)
- Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign (Stop the Wall)
- Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network (PNGO)
- Pax Christi International
- Pax Christi, England and Wales
- Paz con Dignidad
- Platform of French NGOs for Palestine
- Salaam ragazzi dell’Olivo, comitato di Trieste
- Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network
- SODePAZ
- Solutions Not Punishment Collaborative
- The Civic Coalition for Palestinians Right in Jérusalem
- The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD)
- The Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center (JLAC)
- The National Association of Human Rights Defenders
- The Oakville Palestinian Rights Association
- The Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council (PHROC)
- The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy-MIFTAH
- UJFP French Jewish union for peace
- Union syndicale Solidaires
- US Campaign for Palestinian Rights
- US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel
- Visualizing Palestine
- Vrede vzw
- Vredesactie
- War on Want
- Women for Palestine
- Women in Black Vienna
- Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counselling
Joining individuals:
- Ahmed Ben
- Ahmed Reda Tolba
- Alaa Shalaby
- Alaaeddine Tatak
- Aline Shaban
- Amin Abbas
- Andrea Balduzzi
- Angie Mindel
- Ann McNicholas
- Anne Peacey
- Ashley Tellis
- Atamjit Singh
- Audrey J Bomse
- Badee M.T. Aldwaik
- Baruti Likoyi
- Bernadette McPhee
- Chirag Shah
- Claudia Karas
- Claudia Schiavelli
- Denise Peillon
- Denotter JJ
- Devaki Khanna
- Ibrahim Lada’a
- Nerina Cecchin
- Egbert Harmsen
- Marc Fayard
- Firoz Ahmad
- Flavia Lepre
- Françoise Abadie
- Frstot Marie-Paule
- Gabriel Mondragón Toledo
- Geeta Kapur
- Geeta Kapur
- Georges Franco
- Gillard Francois
- Gina Cardosi
- Githa Hariharan
- Gregory Kotoy
- Gyan Prakash
- Haidi Ali Muhammad Eltayeb
- Hélène Le Cacheux
- Herman De Ley
- Huwaida Arraf
- Ian Ampleford
- Ian Mc Cabe
- Indu Chandrasekhar
- Jake Javanshir
- James Dickins
- James Lafferty
- John King
- Joop Hoekstra
- Julia Auf Dem Brinke
- Julie Hart
- Kalyani Chaudhuri
- Karel Arnaut
- Karin Brothers
- Karin Verelst
- Kathryn Kelly
- Kellie Tranter
- Lauren Speiser
- Laurent De Wangen
- Lee Rhiannon
- Luisa Morgantini
- N. Harakeh
- Madeline Lutjeharms
- Maha Abdallah
- Maha Alami
- Malini Bhattacharya
- Mani Shankar Aiyar
- Marcy Newman
- Maria Bartolacci
- Marjorie Cohn
- Martin Mavenjina
- Massimiliano Masini
- Maxime Florentin
- Maya Devi
- Michael Letwin
- Michel Gevers
- Mohamad Arouki
- Mohamed Aboelazm
- Mohammad Al Nabulsi
- Mohan Rao
- Monique Vincent
- Muralidharan K
- Nalini Nayak
- Nandini Sundar
- Naresh Dadhich
- Nasir Tyabji
- Navdeep Mathur
- Nick Deane
- Nozomi Takahashi
- Oishik Sircar
- P A Azeez
- Pamela Blakelock
- Pamela Philipose
- Paola Manduca
- Patrick Lechopier
- Persis Ginwalla
- Pierre Bordone
- Pushpa Achanta
- Pushpamala N
- Raffaele Spiga
- Rajni Palriwala
- Rev Joseph Ryan
- Rey Asis
- Rudolf Knutti
- Raghunandana
- Salim Yusufji
- Sellin Jean-Christophe
- Shafey Kidwai
- Sharib Aqleem Ali
- Sigour Brigitte
- Sonia Fayman
- Stephen Flaherty
- Sue Ingham
- Sumanta Banerjee
- Terri Ginsberg
- Valter Mutt
- Vinay Bharadwaj
- Vincent Basabé
- Winfried Belz
- Yousuf Saeed
- YVes Goaer
- Yves Jardin