This letter was mailed (by snail mail) on August 15. While the letter was addressed to Peter MacKay, copies were mailed to Israel-firsters John Baird (foreign minister) and, of course, prime minister Stephen Harper. Copies were also sent to opposition leaders Thomas Mulcair (NDP) and Justin Trudeau. As Montreal-area members of parliament, they dare not offend the israeli dual-nationals. Finally, copies were sent to the R.C.M.P. War Crimes Unit (who solicit allegations of war crimes inside or outside Canada on their website), the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and the governor general.

Am I deluded enough to think anything will come of this, other than annoying the staff of the recipients of these letters and their wishing they could arrest me and charge me with something? No, of course not. But, as I said in this letter and have said in previous LettersToTheBeast posts, I want history to record me, personally, as someone who spoke out against israel’s war crimes and enabling of their atrocities by their pet politicians in Canada and elsewhere.

I am not afraid to come off looking like a crank or a kook. There are genuine atrocities going on in occupied Palestine. The allegations in the letter and laid out methodically and without hyperbole.

For seventy years, israel and its nationals (at home and abroad) have told us – again  and again – NEVER FORGET. To always remember the popular narrative of Germany’s role in World War II history and to never, ever let it happen again. Israeli nationals bristle at the suggestion that their warriors are acting like “Nazis” or engaging in a “holocaust.” They always follow up by saying that there are no gas chambers or “ovens” in Gaza.

Well, they have a point there. Mind you, who needs gas chambers and crematoriums when you can simply drop white phosphorous bombs on your prey and let them rot in the street?

Having said all that, part of “never forgetting” is never again allowing events to lead up to what is popularly known as “The Holocaust” in official history.  By israeli logic, we ought not be allowed to complain about israelis acting like Nazis until they actually DO set up official concentration camps, DO gas the Palestinians and DO set up crematoriums.

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August 15, 2014

Mr. Peter MacKay, M.P.

Minister of Justice and Attoney General of Canada

House of Commons

Ottawa, Ontario

K1A 0A5

Dear Mr. MacKay:

On August 8, Jean Leonard Teganya was arrested by U.S. authorities after sneaking into their country from Canada. Subsequent to his arrest, it was determined Mr. Teganya was wanted in Canada under the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act for offences which took place in Rwanda in 1994.

I took the initiative and looked up the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act. I found the “Crimes Outside Canada” to be of particular interest.

I wish to bring to your attention that, just in the past six weeks (and going back at least three decades beyond that), atrocities have been committed by the government of Israel with apparent international complicity and consent.

I quote from the legislation:

Genocide, etc., committed outside Canada

• 6. (1) Every person who, either before or after the coming into force of this section, commits outside Canada
  • (a) genocide,
  • (b) a crime against humanity, or
  • (c) a war crime,

  is guilty of an indictable offence and may be prosecuted for that offence in accordance with section 8.

• Conspiracy, attempt, etc.

(1.1) Every person who conspires or attempts to commit, is an accessory after the fact in relation to, or counsels in relation to, an offence referred to in subsection (1) is guilty of an indictable offence.

 

• Punishment

(2) Every person who commits an offence under subsection (1) or (1.1)

• (a) shall be sentenced to imprisonment for life, if an intentional killing forms the basis of the offence; and
• (b) is liable to imprisonment for life, in any other case.

  • Definitions

(3) The definitions in this subsection apply in this section.

“crime against humanity”

“crime against humanity” means murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation, imprisonment, torture, sexual violence, persecution or any other inhumane act or omission that is committed against any civilian population or any identifiable group and that, at the time and in the place of its commission, constitutes a crime against humanity according to customary international law or conventional international law or by virtue of its being criminal according to the general principles of law recognized by the community of nations, whether or not it constitutes a contravention of the law in force at the time and in the place of its commission.

“genocide”

“genocide” means an act or omission committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, an identifiable group of persons, as such, that at the time and in the place of its commission, constitutes genocide according to customary international law or conventional international law or by virtue of its being criminal according to the general principles of law recognized by the community of nations, whether or not it constitutes a contravention of the law in force at the time and in the place of its commission.

• “war crime”“war crime” means an act or omission committed during an armed conflict that, at the time and in the place of its commission, constitutes a war crime according to customary international law or conventional international law applicable to armed conflicts, whether or not it constitutes a contravention of the law in force at the time and in the place of its commission.

Nearly 2,000 civilians have been killed by the government of Israel in its conflict against Hamas, the legitimately elected government of the occupied Palestinian territories (Gaza and the West Bank). Again, this is just in the past six weeks and does not include the thousands killed in the past three decades.

The government of Israel committed war crimes when it:

• Carried out mass executions in villages and shot civilians attempting to flee,
• Shot children at point-blank range
• Shot children from helicopters
• Bulldozed homes with its occupants still inside
• Dropped leaflets informing those below that their neighbourhood would be bombed and they ought to escape; such avenues of escape were then cut off (known as the “knock on the roof”)
• Deliberately targeted hospitals
• Deliberately targeted schools, including schools operated by the United Nations for which the Israel Defence Forces were supplied exact G.P.S. coordinates.
• Used white phosphorous and other chemical weapons and burned civilians to death.
• Prevented civilians from fleeing the war zone.

The government of Israel also committed crimes against humanity (as defined by The Act) when it:

• Set up a land, air and naval blockade which has prevented outside food, medicine and other necessities of life from reaching the inhabitants of Gaaz and The West Bank (the occupied Palestinian territories). This blockade has been in effect for several years and was also responsible for the death Furkan Dogan in 2010. Mr. Dogan was “executed” on board the Rachel Corrie in 2010. The Rachel Corrie was a vessel named for an American woman killed in 2003 when she was run over by an Israeili Defense Force bulldozer.
• Limited food shipments to occupied Palestine so as to limit Palestinians to a diet of 2,300 calories per day.
• Destroyed Gaza’s only power generating station during “Operation Protective Edge.” Before the power station was destroyed, Gaza was already limited to three hours per day of electricity.
• Seized and destroyed Palestinian villages and built Jewish settlements in their place. The government of Israel has now gone beyond seizing Palestinian lands and is moving in on Bedouin settlements.
• Engaged in collective punishment against the inhabitants of Gaza and the West Bank.
• Engaged in ethnic cleansing operations based on the pronouncements by Israeli ministers and other government officials of their own racial superiority.

As I’m sure you can understand, this is by no means a complete list of war crimes and crimes against humanity as committed by the government of Israel.

Unfortunately, offences falling under the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act has also been committed by officials of the government of Canada.

Again, I quote:

HER MAJESTY

 

Binding on Her Majesty

3. This Act is binding on Her Majesty in right of Canada or a province.

OFFENCES WITHIN CANADA

 

Genocide, etc., committed in Canada

• 4. (1) Every person is guilty of an indictable offence who commits
  • (a) genocide;
  • (b) a crime against humanity; or
  • (c) a war crime.

    • Conspiracy, attempt, etc.

  (1.1) Every person who conspires or attempts to commit, is an accessory after the fact in relation to, or counsels in relation to, an offence referred to in subsection (1) is guilty of an indictable offence.

• Punishment

(2) Every person who commits an offence under subsection (1) or (1.1)

• (a) shall be sentenced to imprisonment for life, if an intentional killing forms the basis of the offence; and
• (b) is liable to imprisonment for life, in any other case.

• • Definitions

(3) The definitions in this subsection apply in this section.

“crime against humanity”

“crime against humanity” means murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation, imprisonment, torture, sexual violence, persecution or any other inhumane act or omission that is committed against any civilian population or any identifiable group and that, at the time and in the place of its commission, constitutes a crime against humanity according to customary international law or conventional international law or by virtue of its being criminal according to the general principles of law recognized by the community of nations, whether or not it constitutes a contravention of the law in force at the time and in the place of its commission.

“genocide”

“genocide” means an act or omission committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, an identifiable group of persons, as such, that, at the time and in the place of its commission, constitutes genocide according to customary international law or conventional international law or by virtue of its being criminal according to the general principles of law recognized by the community of nations, whether or not it constitutes a contravention of the law in force at the time and in the place of its commission.

“war crime”

“war crime” means an act or omission committed during an armed conflict that, at the time and in the place of its commission, constitutes a war crime according to customary international law or conventional international law applicable to armed conflicts, whether or not it constitutes a contravention of the law in force at the time and in the place of its commission.

I respectfully bring to your attention section 1.1. Specifically, counselling and accessory after the fact. In repeated – and well documented – pronouncements, Foreign Affairs minister John Baird and prime Minister Stephen Harper have defended the actions of the government of Israel not only during “Operation Protective Edge” but other atrocities that have occurred during the life of the current “Harper Government.”

The Harper Government has refused to use its influence to condemn or sanction the government of Israel either publicly or inside the United Nations even though obvious war crimes and crimes against humanity have taken place (see the Goldstone Report).

Binyamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, has recently been reported as soliciting the assistance of the United States, Canada and other sympathetic governments in blocking any war crimes tribunals from taking place at the United Nations, The Hague or any other forum. This is indicative of a government complicit in such war crimes and crimes against humanity.

As further evidence of the Israeli government having committed crimes against humanity and war crimes, I would bring to your attention that the pretence for “Operation Protective Edge” was the “kidnapping” of three young men. The alleged abduction took place in the West Bank (in an area under complete control of the Israeli Defence Forces no less), yet the current wrath of the Israeli government was brought down on the people of Gaza.

The further pretence for Israeli war in Gaza has been rockets fired from within Gaza. Putting aside the small detail that Gazans are unable to to obtain even the most basic foods and medicines, let alone material to construct bottle rockets, if the government of Israel was concerned that explosives were being launched from Gaza, it should have sent their officers in to arrest the perpetrators. Instead, it engaged in collective punishment: yet another war crime and crime against humanity.

The government of the Palestinan Territories, Hamas, is referred to as “terrorists.” If that is indeed the case, then the “terrorists” should be apprehended and brought to justice. The government of Israel has no authority or right under international law nor any other civilized statue to bomb civilians, schools and hospitals, deliberately shoot children, engage in mass executions, loot and destroy homes, or deprive people of the necessities of life because their government is deemed as being “criminal” or “terrorist.”

As a citizen of Canada, I demand that you, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General for Canada, investigate and arrest all officials and employees of the government of Canada who are complicit in enabling the government of Israel in perpetrating its war crimes and crimes against humanity.

I also demand the arrest of the Prime Minister of Israel (Binyamin Netanyahu), the defence minister of Israel (Moshe Ya’alon) and all commanders, officers, enlistees and conscripts of the Israeli military who have participated in Operation Protective Edge, Operation Cast Lead and other atrocities.

I demand the arrest and trial under the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act for Canadian government officials and employees. I demand the arrest and apprehension of Israeli officials and their transportation to The Hague so that they may face the justice they so richly deserve.

I also demand the government of Canada enforce the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act with absolute consistency. Known war criminals such as Henry Kissinger, George Herbert Walker Bush, George Walker Bush and Condaleza Rice have been allowed unfettered admission to Canada. The government of Canada has so far failed to issue its own arrest warrants against these individuals nor enforce existing international warrants. Furthermore, the government of Canada has failed to issue arrest warrants for Donald Rumsfeld, Richard “Dick” Cheney or John Yoo. Apocryphal reports have indicated Mr. Cheney’s fear of travelling to Canada for fear of just such an arrest.

As The Harper Government is clearly complicit in the crimes of the government of Israel (among other nations), I further demand its immediate dissolution by Her Majesty.

In closing, I wish this letter to serve as notification that the crimes committed and enabled by The Harper Government – not just in this instance but in its history – are done no without my consent or abidance and are not done so in my name. Had I been a German citizen seventy years ago, I would have written a similar letter.

Sincerely,

original signed by

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cc: Stephen Harper

John Baird

Robert Nicholson

RCMP War Crimes Unit

Beverley McLachlin

David Johnston

Justin Trudeau

Thomas Mulcair