On June 22-25, Quebec Suprior Court is to decide whether Canada can punish its two Montreal-based firms, Green Mount International and Green Park International, fronts for Israel’s on-going new Jewish settlements, under international law and Canada’s 2000 Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act – for building 16 of the proposed 42 apartment buildings, housing 1000 foreign Jewish families on a disputed Palestinian land under Israeli occupation which was owned by its resident, Ahmed Issa Abdallah Yasin. The petition was filed last year on behalf of the 1,700 native Muslims and Christians of Palestinian village Bilin. The villagers are represented by US-born Israeli lawyer Emily Schaeffer and a Toronto Lawyer Mark Arnold.
Both the articles of the Fourth Geneva Convention and the Rome Statute are incorporated into Canadian federal law under the Canadian Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Statute.
“The truth is that Israel is not willing to implement all of international humanitarian law and the laws on occupation on the occupied Palestinian territories. We’ve made some headway, we haven’t gone far enough, and that’s why we’re in Canada,” says Emily.
Speaking of the highly controversial nature of the lawsuit in question, Emily said, “The judge in this case needs to feel that it’s okay to rule in favor of the village – that there’s not going to be a major backlash. And that judge also needs to feel supported in making a decision that might very well influence Canadian foreign policy with Israel….. I think the role of civil society is to say, we’re with you on this, we want this to happen.”
On Friday, two protestors, one Palestinian youth and a British activist, were injured and dozens suffered from gas inhalation when Israel Occupation Force (IOF) thugs attacked the weekly protest in Bilin village near Ramallah (West Bank) - who are demanding a halt to the new illegal Jewish settlements and the construction of the so-called ‘Israel Security Wall’.
Israel’s news agency, Arutz, has reported that some Jew settlers in appreciation of Barack Obama’s actions which has lead to dramatic increase in the number of outposts being built throughout Judea and Samara (West Bank) – has named part of a new settlement in honor of US president – Obama Hut.
According to the latest poll conducted by the Maagar Mahot Polling Institute – 56% of those surveyed said that Bibi should not consent to Obama administration’s demand to halt all settlement construction, as opposed to 37% who said he should.
As part of the so-called “Camp David Agreement” between Israel and Egypt – Israeli prime minister Begin promised a five year settlement freeze – the promise to be broken just after three-months – US president Jimmy Carter refused to hold terrorist Begin to his earlier promise. This was not the last time Tel Aviv would promise to freeze settlements only to break that promise with the knowledge that Washington would let them get away with it. In 1991, Father Bush insisted on settlement freeze as a condition to granting a controversial US$10 billion loan gurantee to Israel for housing Russian Jew immigrants. In response, leading members of Congress including the leading candidate for 1992 Democratic presidential nomination – attacked Bush and demanded that the president must grant the loan guarantee unconditionally. In 1997, Washington vetoed a UNSC resolution sponsored by France, Portugal, Sweden and UK calling on Zionist entity to cease its Jewish settlement activities and come into compliance with the Fourth Geneva Convention. Shortly thereafter, Washington vetoed a second resolution calling on the Zionist entity to cease construction of an illegal settlement designed to encirclement of Arab East Jerusalem. Jewish US ambassador at UN at that time, Madeilene Albright called on the UNSC: “No longer draft resolutions dealing with settlements since these issues are under negotiations by the parties (a government with world’s fifth largest army and a tiny militia group) themselve”.
Any State which subsidies Israeli settlements directly or indirectly - violates Article 7 of United Nation Security Council Resolution 465 – which prohibits member states from assisting Israel in its colonization drive.
