The International Court of Justice delivered its legal opinion last Friday on the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, ruling that Israel’s continued presence in occupied Palestinian territories is illegal.
The occupation of Palestinian territories has been ongoing for 57 years, and the actions of successive Israeli governments, and especially those of the current government are evidence that there is currently no intention to end the occupation and to try and solve the conflict.
JSpaceCanada Executive Director, Maytal Kowalski said, “It is unfortunate that these issues have had to be dealt with by an international court when successive Israeli governments had in their power the ability to demonstrate that their occupation was temporary and that they were sincere in hoping to negotiate a peaceful resolution of the conflict. Instead, the government has, for 17 years, refused to negotiate with the Palestinians, has expanded illegal settlements, illegal under Israel’s own law, and appears now bent on annexing all or parts of the West Bank. The recent decision by the Knesset to oppose a Palestinian state west of Jordan only confirms the rationale behind the decision by the ICJ.
“Israel must make a choice - work to end the conflict, negotiate a two-state solution, and secure peace for its citizens, or continue the occupation, attract the ire of the international community, and find itself increasingly isolated. As a pro-Israel, Zionist organization, we hope that Israel will choose to take steps toward ending the conflict and securing peace.”
We encourage the Canadian government to reaffirm its commitment to a two-state solution, oppose the occupation and settlement expansion, and take decisive action against Israeli individuals and entities who threaten or harm the viability of that solution.