CUPW STATEMENT - CUPW calls on Canada to act after ICJ ruling on Gaza

CUPW welcomes an order by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the main court of the United Nations (UN), putting Israel on notice about its obligations under the Genocide Convention. The order – which is binding – requires that Israel must take “all measures within its power” to prevent genocide in Gaza and report back in a month to provide evidence of the actions it is taking to prevent genocide. The ruling is in response to the case South Africa brought against Israel to the ICJ which settles disputes between states, in accordance with international law. 

Since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7^th, Israel’s relentless and indiscriminate war on Gaza has left over 26,000 Palestinians dead – including over 10,000 infants and children - and injured over 65,000. In the first month alone, Israel dropped hundreds of 2000-pound bombs on Gaza; an area much smaller than Ottawa.

The ICJ ruling explicitly orders Israel to refrain from acts under the Genocide Convention, to prevent and punish public incitement of genocide, and to ensure humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza. The situation in Gaza is dire with reports of Palestinians drinking polluted water and eating grass.

For months, CUPW has called for a ceasefire and are disappointed the ruling falls short of this. In addition, the several thousand Palestinians, including women and children, being held by Israel as political prisoners must be released. Among Palestinian prisoners are a huge number of administrative detainees who are held without charges or trial – including elected parliamentarian and feminist Khalida Jarrar.

Faced with the ICJ decision, Canada is compelled to do everything in its power to prevent Israeli genocide in Gaza. As a signatory to the UN Genocide Convention, Canada has an obligation and a duty to prevent and punish the crime of genocide wherever it occurs. CUPW has called on Canada’s leaders to take action to prevent further Palestinian deaths, namely, ending Canada’s arms trade with Israel.

The ICJ’s ruling is the most authoritative global condemnation of Israel’s atrocities yet - and further proof that Canada must act now and end its complicity in genocide.

We call on the Canadian government to: 

• Call for a permanent ceasefire;
• Demand Israel’s full compliance with the ICJ’s emergency provisions;
• Immediately resume funding to UNWRA which has provided humanitarian aid for up to 2 million people in Gaza who are struggling to survive under Israeli siege;
• Halt all arms trade between Canada and Israel;
• Ensure Canada is not complicit in, or is enabling, a genocide in Gaza and Israel’s ongoing illegal occupation of the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem.