United Church urges Canada to suspend relations with Israel
In a powerful letter to Prime Minister Trudeau, Michael Blair, General Secretary of The United Church of Canada, calls for immediate action.
The United Church is demanding that Canada suspend diplomatic relations with Israel until it complies with the International Court of Justice's ruling.
Michael Blair outlines the church’s deep concerns over Israel’s ongoing occupation, its disregard for international law, and the targeting of civilians.
“The United Church of Canada has written to the Government of Canada on many occasions to ask for more to be done to ensure a just peace in Palestine and Israel,” he writes. “This is the first time that we are asking for Canada to issue this kind of sanction on the State of Israel, because, clearly, quiet diplomacy is not working.”
The letter quotes the United Nations Human Rights Office’s press release (Aug. 10, 2024), which states that Israel targets schools where Gazan Palestinians are sheltering.
The General Secretary, while also reiterating the United Church’s calls for an arms embargo on Israel, an immediate ceasefire and accountability, also requested an in-person meeting with the Prime Minister “to discuss how the church can work with the government in support of a just and lasting peace in Palestine and Israel.”
To read the full letter: https://united-church.ca/sites/default/files/2024-08/letter-to-pm-trudeau_aug2024.pdf
