Mr. Speaker, I thank my constituents for the privilege of representing them in Ottawa. Now I turn the attention of the House to the recent issues surrounding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), responsible for Palestinian refugee camps. In the midst of controversy last week, UNRWA’s head, Peter Hansen, told CBC Television, and I quote: “I am sure that there are Hamas members on the UNRWA payroll and I don’t see that as a crime.” Canada is a significant donor to UNRWA, however, we have also banned Hamas as a terrorist entity. I am happy to see that the Government is concerned about the implications of Mr. Hansen’s comments and I hope we use this week’s UNRWA donor conference, to call for an independent observer to continually investigate longstanding allegations about the use of UNRWA camps by terrorists. As Mr. Hansen’s comments illustrate, internal monitoring by UNRWA is insufficient to assure Canadians that their dollars are not being indirectly spent to support a terrorist group.
Mr. Speaker, UN special rapporteur, (John) Dugard, has issued a scathing assessment of Israeli government actions in reference to human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories. On demolitions of Palestinians’ homes, Dugard reports that Israeli bulldozers have destroyed homes in a “purposeless” and “wanton manner” and “savagely dug up roads including electricity, sewage and water lines.” Fifteen hundred demolitions have displaced 15,000 Palestinians. Dugard documents the suffering of Palestinians as a result of the illegal Israeli wall and condemns Sharon’s disengagement plan as one designed to allow Israel to claim its occupation of Gaza is over, and therefore, be no longer bound by the fourth Geneva convention. Since Israel retains control of border crossings and airspace, it is an occupier, according to the report. We deplore the loss of innocent Israeli lives as a result of Palestinian mortar attacks and we condemn suicide bomber attacks. Our government and the international community must heed this UN report. Israel is bound by international law and must end its inhumane treatment of Palestinians in the occupied territories, indeed, end the occupation.
Index | Letters to the Editor | Main Page | Op Ed | Photos
Send Letters To The Editor:
editor@jewishtribune.ca
This site hosted by:
vex.net
