Montrealers representing a variety of groups, ranging from students to labor organizations, are planning to hold a demonstration against the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement (CIFTA) in Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's electoral riding of Papineau Sunday in light of Israel's annexation plans in the West Bank, according to a press release from Independent Jewish Voices Canada (IJV).
Aaron Lakoff, a representative of IJV, noted in a statement that “Annexation is a death knell to any prospect of a just peace in Israel-Palestine.”
The release stated that Israel's annexation plans are contrary to international law, with IJV noting that a protest against the CIFTA, including calls to cancel the agreement, is aimed towards deterring any such actions by the Israeli government.
JVP also cited a a recent EKOS poll that suggests 74% of Canadians oppose Israel's annexation plan, with 42% of those polled calling for economic and/or diplomatic sanctions against Israel if the annexation of settlements in the West Bank were to move forward.
“By continuing the CIFTA, the Canadian government gives cover for the Israeli state to continue to violate international law with impunity,” said community activist Mostafa Henaway, a Ph.D candidate from Academics for Palestine at Concordia University.
“Canada is complicit in the annexation of Palestinian lands. Here in Québec and in Canada, due to our economic and diplomatic ties with the Israeli state, we have a deep responsibility to the Palestinian people, and that means we have a responsibility to campaign for the ending of the CIFTA until Palestinian rights and self-determination are respected,” he added.
Omar Ben Ali, a Palestinian Montrealer, originally from the Jordan Valley in the West Bank, said “Israel is a rogue state, and their annexation plan is criminal,” adding that “As Palestinians, we are calling on the powerful countries of the world such as France, the UK, and Canada, to stand up to Israel by imposing sanctions”.
“As Canadian Jews, we recognize the danger this plan represents for both Palestinians and Jews in the Middle East, and we find it shameful that our own government has done so little to stop it. Justin Trudeau has been all talk and no action when it comes to annexation, and it’s time he put his money where his mouth is by cancelling the CIFTA,” Lakoff concluded.