OTTOWA, March 3, 2012 (WAFA) – Palestine’s representative to Canada, Said Hamad, Friday urged Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to advise Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian Territory for the sake of Israel’s future.
In an open letter to Harper posted in the Canadian newspaper, the National Post, on the occasion of Netanyahu’s visit to Canada and his meeting with Harper, Said noted that the visit is an opportunity “for one of Israel’s strongest allies” to let Netanyahu know that “Israel’s persistent occupation and settlement-building on Palestinian land do not bode well for Israel’s security — a matter of declared concern to your government.”
As Canada’s foreign policy clearly spells out, wrote Said, “security for Israel is attainable by making peace with its neighbors.”
He said that since Canada does not recognize permanent Israeli control over territories occupied in 1967, agrees that the Fourth Geneva Convention applies in the occupied territories, and since Israeli settlements in the occupied territories are a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention and constitute a serious obstacle to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace, Harper has an obligation to convey these points to Netanyahu.
“As Canada’s leader, you are uniquely placed to convey this last point to Mr. Netanyahu: Israel’s settlements must stop for the sake of Israel’s future viability,” he wrote. “Without an end to Israel’s expanding settlement enterprise, there can be no progress towards peace or security in the region.”
Said stressed that “many friends of Israel have said that the real existential threat is not Iran, but Israel’s unlawful settlement enterprise and the end of the two-state solution.”Palestine News & Info Agency - WAFA
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