January 2009: Winnipeggers demonstrate against Israeli attack on Gaza. Photo: Glenn Michalchuk
by Glenn Michalchuk
The recent ruling from the International Criminal Court of Justice (ICJ) that the Israeli settlements in the occupied territories are illegal and a violation of international law is important and long overdue.
The fact that this happened and is forcing a political response from Canada and other countries is to be welcomed but it also shows how Canada and other countries for decades have allowed Israel to escape any sort of scrutiny or censure for its actions.
While ordinary people clearly saw the injustice of what was happening in the occupied territories, this was not the case for the Canadian government or the “mainstream” political parties in Canada.
These parties took to isolating, sidelining or forcing out committed members who supported the just cause of the Palestinian people. And they did this despite witnessing the brutal actions by the Israeli state against Palestinians – whether in Gaza, the rest of the occupied territories, or Israel itself.
Today, Winnipeg sees weekly demonstrations against the genocide in Gaza that is ongoing. We can look back over the years and see similar demonstrations in response to other attacks of the Israeli state against Palestinians. Case in point, the photograph which accompanies this article. It is from January 2009. It was one of many, large demonstrations organized against the Israeli attack on Gaza dubbed “Operation Cast Lead”. While people demonstrated, politicians were silent or showed support by attending local rallies organized by Zionists.
The Israeli destruction of Gaza has brought the world to a point of reckoning that can not be ignored – though the EU, Canada and the U.S. have certainly tried.
That brings us back to ruling by the ICJ. In the past Canada has actively worked to block the ICJ from ruling on the question of Israel/Palestine. It has so far remained silent on the most recent decision.