House of Commons in The Parliament Assembled in Canada

To:  House of Commons

We, the undersigned residents of Canada draw the attention of the House to the following:

THAT Civilians in the Gaza portion of the Occupied Palestinian Territory have remained under Israeli siege, unable to access necessary medical supplies, food, water and fuel, intensifying the humanitarian crisis in one of the most densely populated territories on the planet;

THAT Israel’s latest incursion into Gaza has cost the lives of 1,373 Gazans - including 417 children, 108 women and 120 elderly people –, wounded almost 7,000 others, and destroyed civilian and UN infrastructure;

THAT we, the undersigned, condemn any military actions that target civilians; and

THAT we, the undersigned, believe that both Palestinians and Israelis have a right to live in safe, secure and viable homelands.

THEREFORE; we, the undersigned residents of Canada call on Parliament to urge the federal government to:

• Publicly call for a permanent ceasefire and demand that civilian safety and security be ensured according to the Geneva Conventions.

• Publicly call on Israel to immediately lift the blockade against the people of Gaza which violates the fundamental principles of international law and humanitarian law.

• Call for the immediate and complete termination of Israel’s occupation of all the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

• Demand the full compliance of all parties with UN resolutions, international human rights law, and international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions. Alleged violations of law must be investigated and, where appropriate, prosecuted.

• Endorse the United Nations Human Rights Council resolution calling for an independent, international fact-finding mission to investigate all violations of international law and human rights law committed in Gaza between December 27, 2008 and January 18, 2009.

• Send an all-party parliamentary delegation to Gaza to conduct a fact-finding mission and report back to Parliament. To allow the delegation to fulfill its mandate, Canada must facilitate, through diplomatic channels, the delegation’s meetings with all parties on the ground.

• Demand reparations from the State of Israel for the destruction of hospitals, schools and other public buildings in Gaza.

• Ensure that all bilateral Canada-Israel security and trade agreements are subject to compliance with international law, human rights law and humanitarian law.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The House of Commons in The Parliament Assembled in Canada Petition to House of Commons was created by and written by Shakib Ahsan (shakib45@hotmail.com).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.