Screen grab from an Israeli soldier’s cellphone proudly showing the destruction of a Canadian-financed water well in Rafah – “For Shabbat” he told his viewers. Read more.
Israel’s military blew up more than 30 water wells in Gaza this month according to a Reuters report. One of them was a Canadian-financed well and water treatment plant in the Municipality of Rafah where a million people face death by starvation, dehydration and now, polio. The well built 25 years ago, was blown up on July 28th.
Last weekend, a video began circulating of an Israeli soldier laying down explosives at the facility, known as the Canada Well, in Tel Sultan, a Rafah neighbourhood. The video also included images of the explosion. The plant had been built with financial support from Canada’s International Development Agency (CIDA).
In the last 10 months, Israeli airstrikes and ground incursions have turned much of the Palestinian enclave into a wasteland ravaged by a humanitarian crisis.
“Israel is destroying water infrastructure at the same time as Gaza faces a polio epidemic. What is even more shocking is that the #IOF celebrated the act on Instagram, captioning the image: “in honor of Shabbat”, noted Michael Bueckert, Vice President of CJPME in an instagram post.
Desperate Palestinians are forced to rely on untreated water from Gaza’s only aquifer now contaminated with seawater and sewage.
A new Oxfam report, Water War Crimes, found that Israel’s systematic destruction of water facilities has reduced the amount of water available in Gaza for all uses (washing, cooking, drinking and sewage) by 94% to 4.74 litres a day per person. According to the World Health Organization, between 50 and 100 litres of water per person per day are needed to ensure that most basic needs are met. (By comparison, the typical Canadian uses over 300 litres a day for all purposes.) Daily temperatures in Gaza now average around 33 C.
Evidence of these crimes will figure prominently as the International Court of Justice evaluates charges of genocide against Israel – and the Court has already ordered Israel to stop its assault (an order which Israel continues to ignore). But the Court relies on the nations of the world to enforce its judgements.
Canadian reaction
So what is Canada doing in response to the well’s destruction, and more generally to help implement the Court’s judgement?
“We have expressed our concern to the government of Israel and we’ve called for a credible, independent investigation into what happened to this particular facility,” said International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen, responsible for CIDA in an interview with CBC News.
The International Development Minister did not mention any Canadian interest in the other 29 facilities that Israel has reportedly destroyed.
Canada is good at “concern”. Concern is better than no concern, of course. But our “concern” will not influence Israel.
On July 19th, the International Court of Justice ruled that Israel’s occupation of Gaza (as well as the the West Bank and East Jerusalem) is ILLEGAL must end “as soon as possible’. It called on member countries (like Canada) to enforce its ruling. Ten days later, Prime Minister Trudeau responded by signing a handwringing joint memorandum with the prime ministers of Australia and New Zealand, urging Israel to “listen to the concerns of the international community”.
Two days later Israel responded to Prime Minister Trudeau’s plea by blowing up the Canadian-financed well and water treatment plant in Gaza.
“The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue”, read the Prime Minister’s statement.
If Canada wants to play a role in stopping the “unacceptable human suffering”, it needs to take concrete measures to oppose Israel’s ongoing inhuman campaign.
CTIP subscribers who want to write to Minister Ahmed Hussen, Minister for International
Development to urge him to do more than issue vague expressions of “concern” can do so by sending him an email at: ahmed.hussen@parl.gc.ca. All you need to say is “Concern is not enough when it comes to Gaza. Concrete measures are necessary.“. I am sure he will understand.
Canada Talks Israel Palestine (CTIP) is the weekly newsletter of Peter Larson, Chair of the Ottawa Forum on Israel/Palestine (OFIP). It aims to promote a serious discussion in Canada about Canada’s response to the complicated and emotional Israel/Palestine issue with a focus on the truth, clear analysis and human rights for all. Readers with different points of view are invited to make comment.
Want to learn more about us? Go to Ottawa Forum on Israel/Palestine.ca
Canada Talks Israel/Palestine 
Pete – I have sent a letter, but Hussen’s address seems to be incorrect! Alex
“The only time it is right to look down at someone is when we are offering our hand to help them get up.” Pope Francis – “Let Us Dream”
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Remembering that my late grandmother (the one who survived the Holocaust) would not light her stove on Shabbas, recalling that in Israel many elevators have a Shabbat mode where they stop at every floor because many orthodox Jews will not press a button on Shabbat, I am repulsed by the vision of a soldier of the self-styled Jewish state saying “For Shabbat” while photographing the destruction of a piece of life-sustaining infrastructure.
Because many things that I was told in my childhood synagogue really resonated with me, because I try to live by those principles each day, I cannot understand why people who proudly violate those principles are called “religious”. I am always bewildered when Israel’s leader praises the IDF as “the most moral army in the world”.
The word that best describes such murderous acts is “antisemitic”; they defame us.
I fear that it will do little good to write to MPs and Ministers. We can do more good by sharing with our neighbours. Only when the majority of our neighbours decry such acts, will our politicians listen.
The government of Israel, the IDF, and this soldier continue to score yet another atrocity beyond the pale. When discussing with friends, I find it important to remind about the ever-growing portion of ordinary Jews who are as shocked as I am about the crimes of this evil government.
Going beyond expressing “concern”, Canada can take many concrete actions to force Israel end its murderous inhuman approach towards Palestinians. Here are only three examples: