Mr. Speaker, I am proposing an emergency debate tonight based on the report that came out yesterday from Amnesty International, concluding that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. This finding of genocide from the world's most respected human rights organization has immediate implications for the Government of Canada and for every single member of Parliament.
In short, Canada must change course immediately, given such a conclusion, or the government may be found complicit in genocide by the International Court of Justice. This has serious implications for Canada's reputation internationally and for Canada's adherence to international law. It also requires that Canada do much more to end the genocide in Gaza and to withdraw its political and military support for Israel while the genocide is ongoing.
This report is meticulous in its research on Israeli authorities, policies and actions in Gaza as part of the military offensive they launched in the wake of the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023. It situates these actions “within the broader context of Israel’s unlawful occupation” and what Amnesty calls a “system of apartheid against Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.” It assesses allegations of violations and crimes under international law by Israel in Gaza within the framework of genocide under international law, concluding that there is sufficient evidence to believe that Israel’s conduct in Gaza following October 7, 2023, amounts to genocide.
I note that Amnesty is also working on a research report on the horrific crimes committed by Hamas on October 7 of last year. We anticipate that this report will detail the egregious violations of international law by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups, and the need for accountability under the international justice system.
I further note that this report is specific to Israel's actions. Amnesty requests an arms embargo apply to Israel, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups operating in Gaza. It also advocates for sanctions on both Israeli and Hamas officials implicated in crimes under international law.
The New Democrats support these calls and we believe that all perpetrators, Israel, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups, all perpetrators in the region, must be held accountable.
The report states that Amnesty has found “sufficient basis to conclude that Israel committed, between 7 October 2023 and July 2024, prohibited acts under the Genocide Convention, namely killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm and deliberately inflicting on Palestinians in Gaza conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction in whole or in part.”
This is why I am asking for an emergency debate.