The Human Right to Peace in the Middle East

Address By Hon. David Kilgour, M.P.
Edmonton-Mill Woods-Beaumont
Opening Ceremony for the MacEwan Model UN Assembly
Conference Theatre, Downtown Campus,
Grant MacEwan College, Edmonton
February 19th, 2005

The theme of this session is certainly timely; Monday’s horrific murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was a huge blow to security and stability in the region. Mr. Hariri was a beacon of hope, good will and moderation in the Middle East.

The attack—regardless of whether it was Syrian revenge, purported internal score-settling, a protest against democratisation in the Arab world or whatever else—was clearly intended to undermine positive, peaceful developments in Lebanon and to destabilise the wider region. Mr.Hariri paid with his life trying to promote unity, independence and development; his courage and demonstration of reconciliation and hope deserves world-wide respect and recognition.

There are deep ties between Canada and Lebanon; there are over 300, 000 Canadians of Lebanese origin and over 40, 000 Canadians that reside in Lebanon currently. This relationship, and the one we have with so many other countries in the Middle East because of their strong communities here in Canada, is important domestically and internationally. For that reason, Mr. Hariri’s death should act as a call for Canada, and Canadian civil society groups, to become even more engaged in promoting peaceful solutions in the region as a whole.

Rights-Based Approach to Development and Security

To start the year in the House of Commons Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Development, we decided to explore new approaches to development and security that are based on the acknowledgement and commitment to enforcing basic, internationally-recognized human rights.

With presentations from the Canadian Council for International Cooperation, Rights and Democracy and World Vision, we established a framework for addressing the case-studies to follow; human rights and democracy in Zimbabwe and internal conflict and development in Colombia, among others.

Kathy Vandergrift of World Vision elaborated on what a rights-based approach to development could look like. She rightly questioned why human rights charters are not incorporated into development plans, and she encouraged the linking of rights with responsibilities, using that as a basis to assess current development programs, trade relations and Canadian foreign policy in general.

For the most part, her examples related to development and the consequences of unfair trade on developing countries, but that same theory—that Canadian foreign policy should be linked to our commitment to human rights—can also be used to measure and direct our policy in conflict resolution and peacekeeping.

Palestine and Israel

Last December, I met with a group of women from Kairos Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives, an education and advocacy group that focuses on supporting the participation of women in peace building efforts at all levels.

Amneh Badran, the Director of the Jerusalem Centre for Women, gave an impassioned account of the brutal reality that civilians face in Jerusalem, and the need for more Canadian initiatives towards peace in Israel and Palestine. She made the following statement;

 “When addressing the Palestinian - Israeli conflict we need to link respect for human rights to reaching a just political solution. The “two states” vision can't be achieved without a full end to Israeli military occupation. Until that is achieved, the fourth Geneva Convention should be respected… and the international community has a critical role to play. The deterioration of the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is due to different measures, among them; land confiscation, demolition of houses, and a long list of legalized discriminatory policies practiced against Palestinian Jerusalemites (ID card confiscation, high taxes and poor social services). These, in addition to the building of the wall, are creating and sustaining the ongoing lack of development. 

Of particular concern to Ms. Badran, and many others, is the building of the wall. In her words, “The wall will swallow half of the land of the West Bank—the most fertile land. It will enforce Israel's control of the water of the West Bank. The wall also strengthens the fragmentation of the Palestinian land and people. I believe it is important to recognize the decision of the International Court of Justice on the illegitimacy of the Wall and its impacts.”

Ms. Badran asked for Canada’s support in reviving the peace process. She made the disturbing point that although the current government in Ottawa denies any shift in policy against Palestine, there is in fact a clear change.

Giving countless examples of the way in which civil society groups are losing their voices and rights, she urges the Canadian government to incorporate human rights into the peace process and asks that women and civil society groups be brought into the process.

One such organisation is the Israeli Committee Against House Demolition, a non-violent group of Israeli peace and human rights organisations that work closely with local Palestinian organizations. It was originally established to oppose the demolition of Palestinian houses in the Occupied Territories, but has since expanded resistance activities to protest other policies of destruction and violence. 

Their goal—a just and sustainable peace—is articulated in the following statement; 

“As Israelis, we believe that the only chance for a genuine peace is one that enables the Palestinians to establish what we have, a viable and truly sovereign state of their own. A just peace will also provide all the peoples of our region with the security, dignity, freedom and economic opportunities they deserve. The future may witness the emergence of a regional confederation enhancing the viability of each of our societies to cope with a global reality.”

Clearly, in many conflict situations around the world, be it the Middle East, in Sudan, or in Colombia, there needs to be much greater involvement and dialogue with civil society groups. A focus on existing social organizations and support networks is clearly lacking in the way in which we address peacekeeping, conflict resolution and development around the world.

Canada’s Role

Canadian efforts to promote peace in the Middle East date back to Lester B. Pearson’s Nobel Prize-winning effort to stabilise the Egyptian-Israeli border in the Sinai after the Suez Canal Crisis of 1956.

I think most people would argue that Canada has for the most part in the past tried to be a more impartial, fair and honest broker in the conflict and we have aimed to be a stabilising force in what is one of the most highly politicized and ongoing conflicts in the world. This balanced approach has to be maintained.

Last fall, I met with a group of community leaders here in Edmonton who are deeply troubled by what they see as a “moving away from a balanced approach towards the Middle East in favour of exploitative and virtually unqualified support in Israel.” Some members of the group had met earlier with Prime Minister Martin, who evidently indicated that he was facing “enormous pressure” in caucus to shift away from our country’s traditional even-handed approach to the region. Canada abstaining on the UN General Assembly motion criticizing Israel’s security wall is one such example of this.

Still, Canada’s commitment to and recognition of the fact that there is no military solution to the Israeli-Palestinian confrontation and that only a negotiated agreement will end the conflict is to be commended and reinforced.

Having said that, I think we can do more. First, we have to respect international law and support the Geneva Accord.

 In an effort to raise awareness and support for the Accord, Rabbi Michael Lerner and Tikkun Magazine (A bimonthly Jewish and Interfaith critique of politics, culture, and society) draw attention to the key elements of the Geneva Accord between Israel and Palestine, which includes;  

            "Recognizing that peace requires the transition from the logic of war and             confrontation to the logic of peace and cooperation, and that acts and words          characteristic of the state of war are neither appropriate nor acceptable in the era of peace;”

            "Affirming their deep belief that the logic of peace requires compromise, and that            the only viable solution is a two-state solution based on UNSC Resolution 242      and 338;” 

            "Affirming that this agreement marks the recognition of the right of the Jewish             people to statehood and the recognition of the right of the Palestinian people          to statehood;”

Canada should thus articulate a clear opposition to the Jewish settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, which are illegal under the Geneva Convention and based on Resolutions 242 and 338, Canada should press for the end of the Israeli Occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.

Canada should join the majority of the world’s nations in declaring the wall being built in the West Bank to be illegal and an obstacle to peace. We should also oppose other violations of the Geneva Convention, including house demolitions, targeted assassinations, terrorism and illegal arrests.

Most important of all, we have to increase support for both Israeli and Palestinian civil society groups that commit themselves to building both democratic Palestinian and Israeli societies and states alongside one other, based on a common goal of respect for human rights and commitment to a sustainable future.

A Glimmer of Hope

In light of last week’s mutual ceasefire declaration by Israeli and Palestinian leaders, there are clear signs of hope;

            ▪ Israel's defense ministry ordered an end to the policy of demolishing the houses           of Palestinian suicide bombers and their families.

            ▪ Israel's Knesset approved a compensation plan for settlers who leave Gaza in             order to pave the way for the government's disengagement plan.

            ▪ From recent accounts, Israel appears willing to give Palestinian leader             Mahmoud Abbas some leeway in curbing attacks on Israelis. A spokesperson      from the Foreign Ministry of Israel said that Mr. Abbas is seen as a “partner             in peace.”

These are all important steps towards a return to the international peace plan—the roadmap—and they provide a moment of hope in the Middle East. But the moment must be seized, so as not to pass like so many others have before it.

A number of troubling concerns and unanswered questions linger, threatening to mar these glimmers of hope. Among them;

            ▪ Can Mahmoud Abbas control the militias?

            ▪ How long will Israel show patience in scaling back its military operations in      Palestinian territories?

            ▪ Is Israel using its withdrawal in Gaza as a way of strengthening its hold on the more populated areas of the occupied West Bank? 

            AND

            ▪How will the bombing in Lebanon effect stability in the area—will Israel be       drawn into a new conflict with Lebanon? 

Looking at the Future

These questions only scratch at the surface of doubt in what remains a long walk to peace—a destination that will only be reached when both sides recognize a need for repentance for past deeds that were hurtful and oppressive. A commitment to forgiveness, tolerance and more honest and open communication is essential.

I look forward to hearing your contributions in this session. In particular, your perspectives as students, in recognition of the fact that the real hope for peace in the Middle East, or anywhere else on this planet, lies in education and meaningful dialogue, and raising the generations to come to find solutions to the conflicts they have inherited.

To end on a note of finding hope in reconciliation, I’d like to leave you with two quotes;

The first, from a journalist in Jerusalem, who asks that, “Everyday Israelis and Palestinians must find a way to regain the ethical high ground…We must search high and low for a way to regain our humanity and our sensitivity.”

The second, by Nima Shirali of the Middle Eastern Reconciliation Forum, who so eloquently said, “Let us become inspired by inherent beauty, and not impassioned by manufactured hate.”

Thank you.