2023-12-11: Statement on Israel-Hamas War

On December 6th, the day we commemorate the Montreal massacre of young Québécoise engineering students, I received a letter from Efrat Rayten Marom, head of the Israel Knesset delegation to Women Political Leaders, of which I am a member. She wrote:
“On Saturday October 7th, Hamas committed a massacre against Israel. During these series of attacks, Hamas terrorists kidnapped 240 people, 138 of them are still held in captivity: an infant, a young child, 20 women, 117 men, and 10 senior citizens... The accumulating testimonies from those that have returned from Hamas captivity paint a horrifying picture and make clear that the hostages are being held in harsh conditions.
Eyewitnesses who survived the massacre of October 7th, and first responders on the scenes, described atrocious crimes against women perpetrated by Hamas terrorists, including savage rape, brutal sexual abuse, and genital mutilation. These accounts raise serious concerns regarding the situation of women who are still held by the same terrorists in captivity.”
MK Marom went on to write:
“… any woman who remains silent, any international organization, any group that deals with human rights and does not do everything in its power to bring about the immediate release of the hostages, is criminally negligent of its duty.”
Finally UN Women, which had spoken out about the very real plight of Palestinian women and girls, stated, “We believe a full investigation is essential, so that perpetrators at all sides can be held accountable and justice can be served.”
For the first time in his term, UN Secretary General Guterres has invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter because the war in Gaza is threatening international peace and security.
I wish I could be home this Thursday evening for the memorial to Winnipeg born Vivian Silver, the tireless women’s rights advocate who as a founder of ‘Women Wage Peace’ dedicated her life to ending Israeli-Palestinian conflict and for women to be involved in any peace process. She was co-CEO of the Negev Institute for Strategies of Peace and Development, an Arab-Jewish organization and a volunteer with Road to Recovery, driving Palestinians to Israeli hospitals. Her son Yonaten has said: “I hope that at least her death will be a part of some new movement, some change in our reality.”
Colleagues: Human Rights Watch advises that since October 7, one child in Gaza has been killed every 10 minutes on average. Reuters reports that more than 17,000 have been killed in Gaza so far - mostly women and children.
This reality must shift: when will Canada call for a ceasefire?
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