Webinar/Press Conference zoom
Journalists are invited to ask questions following the presentations. If you will be attending, please register at https://bit.ly/BennettJun13 & also let us know your name & organization by sending email to: info@justpeaceadvocates.ca prior to the event.
Description:
On May 29, lawyers filed a request on behalf of a Palestinian-Canadian & 3 Canadian orgs asking the government declare former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett inadmissible to Canada before he is set to speak in Toronto on June 14. The request contended that Bennett should be denied entry to Canada pursuant to sections 35(1)(a) & (b) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
On June 2, 2023 an application for mandamus was filed in Federal Court. This asks a judge to compel the Minister of Public Safety to make a decision on Bennett’s admissibility. The request to ban Bennett is specifically related to Bennett’s deep involvement in the development of illegal Israeli settlements in the Palestinian West Bank. According to a Peace Now report, the Bennett government significantly increased the development of illegal settlements on Palestinian land. The report also refers to Bennett’s support for the eviction of Palestinian families in East Jerusalem in favor of establishing illegal settler housing units there. In addition, he previously served as a Director of the Yesha Council – an organization that seeks to expand settlements.
Canada does not recognize permanent Israeli control over territories occupied since 1967 (the Golan Heights, West Bank including East Jerusalem & Gaza Strip). In fact according to Canadian policy, the UN, & international law, Israeli settlements are war crimes. As Bennett’s planned arrival approaches, a pressing question lingers: will Canada uphold the rule of law?
Panelists: Shane Martinez & Nicholas Pope, lawyers who filed the complaint & mandamus application, Michael Lynk, Prof Emeritus at the University of Western Ontario & former Special UN Rapporteur for Occupied Palestine, Khaled Mouammar, Palestinian-Canadian, a founder of the Canadian Arab Federation & former member of the Immigration Refugee Board of Canada (a signatory to the request.)
Supporting organizations: Canadian Foreign Policy Institute, Palestinian & Jewish Unity (PAJU), Just Peace Advocates.
Questions in French will be translated for the panelists, and answers from the panelists in English, translated to French
Registration for Webinar/Press Conference (Zoom); https://bit.ly/BennettJun13
Contact: info@justpeaceadvocates.ca
