The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories called for input for a report to the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council. World BEYOND War has just submitted a report called “Involvement of Canadian Weapons Manufacturers in Commission of International Crimes Connected to Israel’s Occupation, Apartheid, Siege, and Genocide in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.” The report notes that:
The export of weapons from Canada to Israel takes place via two primary pathways.The first pathway involves direct transfers to Israel. This requires export permits issued by Global Affairs Canada and overseen by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister Mélanie Joly. The second pathway is export of arms from Canada to Israel indirectly, via the United States. Due to existing agreements between Canada and the United States, no export permits are required for the vast majority of Canadian weapon exports to the United States.
For example, “[m]ore than 100 Canadian companies supply components to the F-35, which is assembled in Texas by Lockheed Martin.”
In response to public pressure, Canada has taken some steps, but — as documented in the report — far from what is required:
Canadian companies whose exports are reviewed in the report include Apollo Microwaves Ltd, Excelitas, GeoSpectrum Technologies, Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp, TTM Technologies Inc., ASCO Aerospace Canada Ltd., Gastops, and Heroux-Devtek.
The report concludes:
Despite Canadian government promises that ‘we will not have any form of arms or parts of arms be sent to Gaza, period,’ as of the time of publication Canadian companies continue to provide critical components to Israel’s military arsenal, including the principal weapons systems used in its ongoing attacks on Gaza – under an intentional shroud of secrecy. In the face of legal challenges and the mobilization of Canadian civil society calling for an end to these practices, while a pause on approval of future arms permits has been instituted, only roughly 12% of active weapons export permits directly to Israel have been suspended. Additionally, Canadian weapons and military equipment continues to flow unregulated and untracked to Israel through the U.S., destined to be used by the Israeli military to continue the unabated human rights violations and genocide being perpetrated against Palestinians in Gaza. This must end.