Ruling of Canadian federal court an important step
We welcome the ruling of Canada's federal court on the
illegality of labeling wine originating from illegal Israeli
settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including
East Jerusalem, as products made in Israel. This is an
important first step for Canada and beyond, as this landmark
ruling is an affirmation of the supremacy of the law and
Canada’s obligation to respect international law, which
considers settlements illegal and does not recognize them as
part of Israel.
In light of this important ruling, the Palestinian leadership calls on the Canadian government to act in accordance with Canadian and international laws and amend, without delay, the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (Bill C-85), which affords products originating from illegal Israeli settlements tariff free status, in flagrant violation of Canada's obligations under international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, and United Nations Security Council resolutions, including resolution 2334 (2016). This ruling now clearly demonstrates that the agreement also violates Canadian law and values.
Further, we call on all other states, particularly the European Union, Israel's largest trading partner, to apply EU and international laws to its agreements with Israel. It is long overdue for the EU to take the minimal step of properly labeling products originating from Israel's illegal settlements and to ensure that its partnership agreements do not further enable or favor the continued looting of Palestinian natural resources and the profiteering from the commission is a war crime, as defined in the Rome Statute.
Israel's illegal settlement regime is
the embodiment of its colonial agenda in Palestine and its
determined efforts to deny the Palestinian people their
inalienable rights to self-determination and freedom. The
obligation of all states to respect international law and
the Palestinian people’s national rights is absolute. Such
respect can only be ensured by practical steps that deny
Israel and complicit companies the ability to profiteer from
the colonial occupation and the flagrant violations of
international law. Accountability is the shortest and most
assured path to
justice.