Dear Chris, Big news – we've had a real win this week in the campaign to implement an arms embargo on Israel. This week Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly announced that she had suspended 30 arms export permits to Israel and that the government would oppose the transfer of 50,000 mortars to be produced at General Dynamics in Quebec and slated to flow to Israel via the US. Once again our movement has forced the government to do what it was determined not to — cut back the Canada-Israel arms trade, bit by bit, and move one step closer to an arms embargo. Can you help spread the word about this win on Instagram, X, and Facebook? To make sure everyone on Parliament Hill knows that this fight is far from over and we won't be distracted by the government taking just a couple steps towards an arms embargo, we also co-authored an op-ed published in the Hill Times today titled "Canada has failed to implement a meaningful arms embargo on Israel". Here's a breakdown of what actually happened this week and what we still need to take action for: |
For months, World BEYOND War has brought hundreds of organizations and thousands of individuals together through the #ArmsEmbargoNow campaign to demand that the government stop the flow of all weapons to and from Israel – not only pausing the approval of new weapons export permits, which we successfully forced them to do back in the winter, but also cancelling the 200+ previously approved permits that are still being used to send Canadian weapons to Israel. The suspension of 30 of those 200+ permits announced this week is a big deal, but it’s just the first step. This week’s win shows exactly why we need a full arms embargo on Israel. All these permits must be cancelled. |
Explosives Made in Quebec to Be Exported Via the US?
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On top of the weapons exported directly from Canada to Israel, there are countless arms exports that use a loophole to go to Israel via the US. These exports aren’t tracked, reported, or regulated, and they don’t even require a permit. Last month, we broke the news and raised the alarm about one such planned transfer of 50,000 explosives to be produced at General Dynamics in Quebec and sent to Israel via the US. Our Montreal chapter joined dozens of allied groups in Repentigny for a series of rallies at the General Dynamics factory. This week we successfully forced Joly to publicly oppose the shipment and commit to blocking it. Now we need to keep up the pressure to make sure these explosives are actually blocked from going through. And this is just one instance of weapons going from Canada to Israel via the US. Every F35 currently dropping 2000 lb missiles on Gaza is made in the US using millions of dollars in Canadian technology. We need a full arms embargo to close the US loophole and make sure that no Canadian weapons or military components make it to Israel via the US. |
Our movement successfully pushed the Canadian government to take further steps towards an arms embargo on Israel. We are powerful, and we are having an impact. With Parliament resuming next week, this is a critical moment to ramp up the pressure. We must make sure that all of the permits are cancelled, that the US loophole is closed once and for all, and that Canada stops funding the Israeli war machine by importing their weapons. We won’t stop until we cut off the flow of all weapons both to and from Israel — a full arms embargo. We've got some big next steps in the works to escalate the arms embargo demand, but, operating on a truly shoestring budget and with only one staff person in Canada (that's me!), we truthfully don't have the resources to pull it all off. Can you chip in to make some of our ambitious arms embargo campaign plans possible? Every contribution makes a big difference to what we can pull off. And stay tuned for new calls to action coming soon. In solidarity,
Rachel
Canada Organizer, World BEYOND War |
P.S. World BEYOND War is 10 years old! We have tons of accomplishments behind us and, of course, massive struggles ahead. We're taking a 90-minute pause to enjoy each other's company and the sustaining happiness that comes from our experiences engaged together in moving the world toward peace and away from the madness of war. On October 19, 2024 from 3:00-4:30 pm ET: Join World BEYOND War's founders, board members, staff, advisory board, chapter organizers, volunteers, supporters, allies, and friendsfrom all over the world — we'll all be there! Details here.
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