McGill Tribune

Opinion

On the eve of the 33rd anniversary of the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid, the Palestine-Israel issue is being brought into focus. On McGill and Concordia campuses, a broad coalition of student groups has organized a week-long series of events in March as part of the international Israeli Apartheid Week. The intent of these events is to introduce students and the broader community to the analysis of Israel as an Apartheid state.

The definition of the crime of Apartheid, as stated in Article Two of the ICSPCA, involves inhuman acts committed for the purpose of establishing and maintaining domination by one racial group of persons over any other racial group of persons and systematically oppressing them. The term is most commonly used to refer to the South African Apartheid, where it originated. It's relatively easy to show that the state of Israel's policies regarding its non-Jewish citizens and Palestinians under occupation also constitute an Apartheid system, and this topic should be given a thorough treatment. I believe that the the events of the IAW in Montreal achieve this, with speakers such as Ronnie Kasrils, who was directly involved in combating the Apartheid regime in South Africa as a member of the African National Congress. My intent is to convince the greater McGill community to attend these events. Three key reasons quickly come to mind:

First, it was Canada that spearheaded the imposition of economic sanctions against the Apartheid regime in South Africa in the 1980s. A concerted effort by Canadian civil society including businesspeople, students, and clergy ultimately contributed to the imposition of an international economic boycott of the Apartheid regime. This culminated in a relatively peaceful end to the regime, with inclusive all-race elections occurring in 1994. Canadians should, once again, take the lead in human rights issues globally. A first step in this direction is gaining awareness of these issues and this year's IAW is an ideal opportunity.

Second, while Canada's strong record in support of human rights internationally is indisputable, human rights violations suffered by indigenous peoples here in Canada continue to this day. A specific example here in Quebec is the plight of the Barrière Lake community. One of IAW's events focusses on the issues of indigenous rights and the ongoing struggle for them in Canada.

Finally, the results of recent elections in Israel show that the chances for a just peace are growing slimmer. These elections have seen a surge in power of an extremist political party, Yisrael Beiteinu, which has been condemned for supporting the ethnic cleansing of Israeli Arabs. Previous to these elections, disturbing poll data released by the Israel Democracy Institute in June 2007 found that about 56 per cent of the Jews in Israel publicly oppose full equality for Israeli Arabs. Almost 78 per cent believe that Arab parties shouldn't be allowed to join the government or any important political decision-making body. Shockingly, out of those Jewish Israelis polled, 55 per cent believed that Palestinian citizens of Israel should leave the country.

There are many additional reasons to attend the upcoming IAW events, and I have only given what I feel are the most compelling. As McGill students and Canadian residents, we enjoy a unique set of privileges that the vast majority of humanity does not. I believe that we should leverage our unique privileges to work towards justice for all, and that starts with the simple task of becoming aware.


Nasser Mohieddin Abukhdeir is a fourth-year PhD chemical engineering student. Israeli Apartheid Week runs from March 1 to 8, and a full schedule can be found at www.iawmontreal.org.