Civil society demands Canada's end to arms transfers to Israel

Author Jahanzeb Hussain Syed

In an open letter to the Canadian government, the country’s leading civil society organizations have called on Ottawa to uphold its domestic and international legal obligations by ending arms transfers to Israel.

Earlier this year, the Trudeau government halted the further authorization of arms licenses to Israel. However, the measures stopped short of cancelling existing permits. As a result, arms transfers have continued, the letter notes.

In August, it was revealed that the U.S. government awarded Quebec-based General Dynamics Ordinance and Tactical Systems Inc. a contract for high-explosive mortar cartridges destined for Israel. The letter urges Ottawa to cancel the contract, worth USD $61 million, and to annul all existing arms contracts.

Next month will mark a year since the start of the war in Gaza. According to the medical journal The Lancet, the death toll in the occupied territory could exceed 186,000.

In January, the International Court of Justice found it plausible that Israel’s actions fall within the scope of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

In July, the same court declared that Israel’s long-standing occupation of Palestine is illegal and constitutes apartheid.

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  • Jahanzeb Hussain reports on global aid and international cooperation. He has over a decade of experience in journalism and research, spanning across multiple countries. He holds a research masters in anthropology from L'École des hautes études en sciences sociales, Paris. He currently lives in Montreal.

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