“Such an independent inquiry is especially necessary,” said IJV-C spokesperson Larry Haiven, ”since the Israeli forces held the flotilla passengers hostage for several days and confiscated all of their documentary evidence from the takeover of the ships.”
IJV-C applauds those few Canadian Members of Parliament who speak out against Israel’s ongoing oppression of the Palestinian people. We demand that the Canadian Government cooperate with the UN and support an independent, credible, and impartial investigation into this incident. We also demand that the Harper Government make public the details of the weapons and surveillance contracts and agreements made between Israel and various government levels in Canada. Says Haiven, “we reiterate that the Canadian Government and the State of Israel do not speak for or protect the interests of Jewish people.” He pointed out that “many Jews in North America, Europe, Israel and the rest of the world are appalled by Israel’s wars and its illegal occupation of Palestine. Indeed ten thousand Israelis protested in Tel Aviv last Saturday against the seizing of the vessels.”
For more information, contact Larry Haiven at larry.haiven@ smu.ca.
