No. 44

July 27, 2024

Arrest War Criminal Netanyahu!

Mass Demonstrations in Washington, DC and Canada Denounce U.S./Zionist Genocide and Demand Netanyahu's Arrest

Washington, DC, July 24

Important Developments in Palestine

• Palestinian Resistance Groups Reach Historic Agreement
to Form Government of National Unity

• International Court of Justice Finds Israeli Occupation Illegal and Underscores Responsibility to Restitute the Palestinians

• Response to World Court Opinion by Palestinian
Resistance and Others

Photo Review July 1 to 24

• Worldwide Actions Continue to Support Resistance in Face of Increasingly Desperate Israeli Onslaught

Arrest War Criminal Netanyahu!

Mass Demonstrations in Washington, DC and Canada Denounce U.S./Zionist Genocide and Demand Netanyahu's Arrest

On July 24 tens of thousands of people converged from across the U.S., pouring into the streets outside the Capitol Building in Washington, DC for an 11:00 am rally, as the war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu who is committing genocide of the Palestinian people prepared to address the U.S. congress later in the day. Demonstrators denounced Netanyahu’s visit, demanded he be arrested as a war criminal and the immediate end to all U.S. funding and arming of the Israeli genocide. Organizers pointed out “the politicians who claim to speak in our name don’t represent the people of this country -- we stand with Palestine!”

Protestors took over the intersections along the route Netanyahu was to take to the Capitol building. Actions carried on throughout the afternoon. As the mass assembly began to march towards Congress, protesters were brutally attacked by police, but this did not stop them and the march militantly carried on through the streets of Washington.

An important development was the presence of seven U.S. unions representing 6 million workers who together demanded the U.S. immediately stop arming Israel. The unions were the Association of Flight Attendants, American Postal Workers Union, International Union of Painters, National Education Association, Service Employees International Union, United Auto Workers and United Electrical Workers. Brandon Mancilla, director of the United Auto Workers, Region 9A spoke on their behalf at the rally.

The previous evening some 400 anti-Zionist Jewish people held a sit-in at the U.S. Capitol building to protest the visit, with many being arrested. Demonstrations also took place outside the hotel where Netanyahu was staying.

July 24

Protest outside hotel where Netanyahu was staying, July 23

Occupation of Capitol, July 23

Canadian Protests Against Netanyahu's Visit

In Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver militant demonstrations also took place on July 24 against the unacceptable visit of Netanyahu to the U.S. and demanding that Canada end its illegal support for Israeli occupation of Palestine. They gathered at significant rallying places to vigorously denounce the U.S./Israeli genocide in Gaza and Netanyahu's visit to Washington, DC.

Torontonians gathered at the U.S. consulate where speaker after speaker condemned the ongoing genocide and the support of the U.S. and Canadian governments for Israel's unprecedented crimes and aim of eliminating the Palestinian resistance and the Palestinian people. Demonstrators occupied the intersection in front of the consulate forcing police to block access to University Avenue, sitting on the street for over an hour. The loudest shouts of "shame" were heard when representatives of the Palestinian youth movement reported on Netanyahu's speech to the U.S. Congress and his reception there.

The action was infused with the conviction that the U.S./Israel will be defeated and Palestine will be free and that peace-loving people in Canada and the world stand with Palestine until victory.

In Montreal, the main banner affirmed that the people are the red line determined to end Israel's impunity and end Canada's arming and funding of genocide.

Toronto

Montreal

Vancouver

Important Developments in Palestine

Palestinian Resistance Groups Reach Historic Agreement to Form Government of National Unity

From July 21-23, fourteen groups of the Palestinian resistance met in Beijing at a conference hosted by China. Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and Fatah, were among the organizations present which together on July 23 issued the Beijing Declaration on Ending Division and Strengthening Palestinian National Unity.

The Palestinian groups present at the high level meeting also agreed to activate the Unified Temporary Leadership Framework and ensure it meets regularly.

Besides the representatives of the 14 Palestinian groups, diplomatic envoys to China or their representatives from Egypt, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Russia and Türkiye attended the closing ceremony.

Following the closing ceremony, the Hamas representative in Lebanon, Ahmad Abdel Hadi, praised the Beijing Declaration, pointing out that it blocks the schemes of U.S.-Israel to divide and weaken the Palestinian resistance and keeps the initiative firmly in the hands of the Palestinian people.

This historic declaration has been hailed by the Palestinians and their allies in all countries. It is a historic success for the Palestinian resistance and people, as well as for all those who have stood with them since 1948. Besides other things, it settles all U.S./Israeli Zionist attempts to put a regime in their service in charge of a Palestinian state.

This advance deepens the crisis of the U.S. and the Zionist Israeli state, along with those forces including Canada which have continued to fund and support Israel on the basis that it has the right to "self-defence," a right which it cannot claim as an occupying power. The achievement by the Palestinian Resistance forces further isolates their U.S.-Zionist enemies and advances humanity's fight for a new world order based on the peoples' aspirations for justice, rule of law and peace.

While the Palestinian people are celebrating this historic achievement, people in the U.S. and around the world organized mass actions to denounce Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the U.S., calling for his arrest as a war criminal and for an end to the support that the U.S. and other countries are providing Israel to commit genocide against the Palestinians.

Meanwhile, supported by the U.S., Britain and other countries, the crimes of the Zionists increase with every day that passes. These were thoroughly denounced in the U.S. as well as Canada where militant mass demonstrations took place demanding Netanyahu's arrest and that support for the Zionist genocide of the Palestinians end immediately. Netanyahu's visit to the U.S. was a declaration that he could defy the ruling of the International Criminal Court issued in June that he should be arrested for his crimes. The militant opposition of the U.S. working class and people puts the ruling elite of the Democratic party embroiled in an election campaign on notice to disassociate from Netanyahu if they are to overcome the split in their ranks.

The Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) congratulates the Palestinian people and their resistance forces for achieving this historic success and stands as one with them as they go from strength to strength until final victory.

Highlights of the Beijing Declaration

The Declaration highlighted that the signatories:

- Pledged to "end the Palestinian national division," and to "unify national efforts to confront the Israeli aggression and stop the genocide."

- Affirmed "the right of the Palestinian people to resist occupation and end it in accordance with international laws, the UN Charter, and the right of peoples to self-determination."

- Committed to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state "with its capital in Al-Quds (Jerusalem) in accordance with international resolutions, especially 181 and 2334, and ensuring the right of return."

- Agreed to form "a temporary national unity government with the consensus of Palestinian factions and by a decision of the president based on the Palestinian Basic Law."

- Will work to ensure that the government thus formed would "exercises its powers and authorities over all Palestinian territories, confirming the unity of the West Bank, Al-Quds, and the Gaza Strip."

- Will continue to "resist and thwart attempts to displace our people from their homeland, especially from the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and Al-Quds."

- Will work together to "lift the barbaric siege on our people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and deliver humanitarian and medical aid without restriction or condition."

- Welcomed the opinion of the International Court of Justice on July 19 "which confirmed the illegality of presence, occupation, and settlement" on historic Palestine.

- Pledged to monitor the implementation of the agreement's clauses "with the help of Egypt, Algeria, China, and Russia."

(With files from Xinhua, Al Mayadeen, Palestine Chronicle.)

International Court of Justice Finds Israeli Occupation Illegal and Underscores Responsibility to Restitute the Palestinians

On July 19, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued its 83-page "Advisory Opinion in respect of the Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory." The Occupied Palestinian Territory includes the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. The UN General Assembly had, on December 30, 2022, adopted a resolution requesting that the ICJ give an advisory opinion pertaining to the following questions:

"(a) What are the legal consequences arising from the ongoing violation by Israel of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, from its prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem, and from its adoption of related discriminatory legislation and measures?

"(b) How do the policies and practices of Israel referred to ... above affect the legal status of the occupation, and what are the legal consequences that arise for all States and the United Nations from this status?"

The ICJ's conclusions and the reasons for its conclusions give a clear picture of Zionist Israel as a rogue and illegitimate state that, with the support of the U.S., is not fulfilling any of its obligations as the occupying power.

In a July 19 press release, the ICJ summed up the conclusions of its legal opinion as follows, pointing out not only Israel's outright violations of international law, but also the obligations of all UN member states to hold Israel to account so as to end these violations:

"- the State of Israel's continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful;

"- the State of Israel is under an obligation to bring to an end its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as rapidly as possible;

"- the State of Israel is under an obligation to cease immediately all new settlement activities, and to evacuate all settlers from the Occupied Palestinian Territory;

"- the State of Israel has the obligation to make reparation for the damage caused to all the natural or legal persons concerned in the Occupied Palestinian Territory;

"- all States are under an obligation not to recognize as legal the situation arising from the unlawful presence of the State of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by the continued presence of the State of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory;

"- international organizations, including the United Nations, are under an obligation not to recognize as legal the situation arising from the unlawful presence of the State of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory; and

"- the United Nations, and especially the General Assembly, which requested the opinion, and the Security Council, should consider the precise modalities and further action required to bring to an end as rapidly as possible the unlawful presence of the State of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory."

The ICJ also points out that an occupation, no matter its duration, is considered to be a temporary state of affairs, and that the key consideration is whether the occupying power continues to exercise effective control over a territory. If so, then the obligations of the occupying power remain in effect. "The nature and scope of these powers and duties are always premised on the same assumption: that occupation is a temporary situation to respond to military necessity, and it cannot transfer title of sovereignty to the occupying Power," states the ICJ. One of the most important obligations of the occupying power is that its actions "must at all times be consistent with the rules concerning the prohibition of the threat or use of force, including the prohibition of territorial acquisition resulting from the threat or use of force, as well as with the right to self-determination."

The ICJ's opinion refers to its July 2004 "Advisory Opinion on the Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory," in which it stated that the Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are in violation of international law, as is the regime responsible for them which has continued to expand its illegal settlements since then.

Regarding the broad body of Israeli legislation that enforces its apartheid regime against the Palestinian people, the ICJ states that "this differentiation of treatment cannot be justified with reference to reasonable and objective criteria nor to a legitimate public aim" and violates the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.

The ICJ continues on in this vein, concluding in its press release that it "considers that the violations by Israel of the prohibition of the acquisition of territory by force and of the Palestinian people's right to self-determination have a direct impact on the legality of the continued presence of Israel, as an occupying Power, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The sustained abuse by Israel of its position as an occupying Power, through annexation and an assertion of permanent control over the Occupied Palestinian Territory and continued frustration of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, violates fundamental principles of international law and renders Israel's presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory unlawful. This illegality relates to the entirety of the Palestinian territory occupied by Israel in 1967. This is the territorial unit across which Israel has imposed policies and practices to fragment and frustrate the ability of the Palestinian people to exercise its right to self-determination, and over large swathes of which it has extended Israeli sovereignty in violation of international law. The entirety of the Occupied Palestinian Territory is also the territory in relation to which the Palestinian people should be able to exercise its right to self-determination, the integrity of which must be respected."

This assessment of Israel's conduct in the Occupied Palestinian Territories underscores the justness of the resistance of the Palestinian people to Israel's illegal occupation, including its current brutal war on Gaza. It also underscores that the steadfastness of the Palestinian Resistance and all those who stand with Palestine worldwide are the decisive factor to ensure that Israel's genocidal occupation is ended and that Palestine will be free.

To read the ruling in full, click here.

Response to World Court Opinion by Palestinian Resistance and Others

The Hamas Movement welcomed the legal opinion issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands.

The Movement said on July 19 that the ruling affirmed "the illegality of the Zionist occupation and the necessity of putting an end to it, exposed the fascist settlement system, demanded its end, and pointed out the widespread violations of international law committed by the different occupation governments against our people and our Palestinian land."

"This decision, and the court's request to the United Nations and the Security Council, to consider measures to put an end to the Zionist occupation, places before the international system the need for immediate action to end the occupation, and to translate the successive decisions issued by the court into serious steps on the ground, especially in light of the ongoing war of genocide against our people in the Gaza Strip, the dangerous settlement expansion in the West Bank, and the frantic Judaization steps in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque."

Hamas called for "immediate" international action following the court's ruling, saying it puts before the international system the imperative of immediate action to end the occupation.

UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry

The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel said that it welcomes the historic advisory opinion issued Friday by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) stating that the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory is illegal under international law.

"The Court was clear and unambiguous, and the advisory opinion entails international legal obligations not only for Israel, but for the UN and all States," said Navi Pillay, the Chair of the Commission.

UN Special Rapporteur

Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories tweeted on July 19:

"Historic day for international justice and the decolonization of Palestine.

"The supreme judicial organ of the UN has confirmed what the Palestinians, some liberated Israelis, serious legal scholarship and the human rights community worldwide have steadily denounced [that]:

"Israel's 57-year-old occupation is UNLAWFUL, nothing concerning it should be considered as legal by member states and UN agencies alike and Israel must dismantle it at once, together with its illegal settlement enterprise, the apartheid that has sustained it and also offer reparations to the Palestinians.

"And now, let's apply international law, starting with stopping the genocide the unlawful occupier is committing, imposing sanctions on it and ensuring immediate protection of the Palestinians under its rule."

Al-Haq, Palestinian Human Rights Organization

Zainah el-Haroun, the spokesperson for Al-Haq, a Palestinian non-profit organization based in the West Bank that monitors human rights violations, said that the ICJ ruling only has significance if it is given teeth and actually enforced by all UN members, who are obligated to do so.

"These rulings mean nothing if third states and the international community fail to hold Israel accountable," she told Al Jazeera, giving the example of the ICJ's 2004 advisory opinion that found Israel's separation wall and settlements on occupied Palestinian land illegal. Settlements have not only remained in the West Bank since the ruling, but the number of Israeli settlers living there has also risen from 250,000 in 1993 to more than 700,000 in 2023.

"The ICJ has ruled that Israel's occupation is unlawful and must end immediately. Third states must ensure the full and total realization of the Palestinian people to self-determination and sanction Israel's illegal occupation, which breaches international law," she added.

Israeli Prime Minister

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the ICJ ruling by asserting Jewish dominion over the historical lands of the Palestinian people. "The Jewish people are not occupiers in their own land, including in our eternal capital Jerusalem nor in Judea and Samaria, our historical homeland. No absurd opinion in the Hague can deny this historical truth or the legal right of Israelis to live in their own communities in our ancestral home," he said.

United States

In a July 20 email to Reuters, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said:

"We have been clear that Israel's program of government support for settlements is both inconsistent with international law and obstructs the cause of peace. [...] However, we are concerned that the breadth of the court's opinion will complicate efforts to resolve the conflict."

Canada

The Trudeau Liberal government initially boycotted any mention of the ICJ ruling. The website of the Global Affairs Canada made no mention of it, neither did Foreign Minister Melanie Joly see fit to acknowledge it on her X account. Only on July 26 did Canada acknowledge the ICJ ruling in a joint statement of the Prime Ministers of Australia, Canada and New Zealand "on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel." With regard to the ruling of the ICJ they called on Israel to respond to the ICJ's advisory opinion. They said not a word about the responsibilities of their own governments to comply with the ICJ ruling and stop Israel's occupation and war crimes.

Notoriously the statement by the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand showing support for the ceasefire deal "outlined by Biden" and endorsed by the United Nations Security Council does not stop at aping the U.S. imperialists' calls. It goes on to make a point of repeating what Israel and the U.S. think they can still dictate to the Palestinians, saying that Hamas should have "no role in the future governance of Gaza." In effect they are showing utter contempt and rejection of the united position of all organizations in Palestine and of the important Beijing Declaration, as well as refusing to accept their responsibility for complying with what the ICJ is calling for.

Photo Review -- July 1 to 24

Worldwide Actions Continue to Support Resistance in Face of Increasingly Desperate Israeli Onslaught

Demonstration surrounds British parliament in London, England on the first sitting day of the new government, July 18.

Around the world people in their millions continue to take action to stand with the Palestinian people and the Resistance, demanding an end to the Israeli genocide and the increasingly brutal and desperate massacres it is carrying out throughout Gaza. Figures reported by the Gaza Ministry of Health on July 25, day 292 of the ongoing Israeli genocide, are that at least 39,175 Palestinians have been killed, and more than 90,403 injured, with 11,000 people missing and presumed dead under the rubble. Of those killed at least 15,700 are children and 10,300 are women. These figures do not account for the indirect deaths due to the destruction of health care facilities and infrastructure and Israel’s criminal denial of food and water to the Palestinian people.

Actions everywhere, in cities, small towns and in remote locations demand an end to Israel’s impunity. In those countries which are parties to Israel’s genocide people are demanding that their governments immediately end all funding and support for Israel. In Britain, two days after the election of the Labour Party government, a massive national demonstration demanded it stop arming and funding Israel. Demonstrators also organized a mass action outside the Parliament on the opening of the new Parliamentary session.

CANADA

National Capital Region

For the 39th week, on July 7 people of conscience in Ottawa and the Outaouais region marched to demand an end to the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people and the occupation of Palestine.

A spokesperson for the Palestinian Youth Movement told those gathered at the Human Rights Monument: "For these past 39 weeks, the Zionist entity has continued its horrific campaign of violence across Palestine, resulting in the displacement of hundreds of thousands, and the relentless slaughter of over 45,000 Palestinians....

"While we have seen our people live through unimaginable horror, we have also seen them continuously resist, from the doctors who are refusing to leave their patients, even when their hospitals are besieged, to the parents digging through the rubble with their bare hands for their children, to our courageous Resistance fighters who are continuing to show the world the meaning of bravery."

He pointed out that through these demonstrations and a host of actions including the student encampment at the University of Ottawa, in place for two months, one thing that has been accomplished is that Palestine has been made unavoidable. He called on everyone to continue to speak out for Palestine.

A march followed through downtown Ottawa, with brief stops at each intersection, to the student encampment. There a student spokesperson talked of the students' demands that the university divest from genocide and occupation and of their determination to continue to fight for justice, whether through the encampment or through pressure by other means.

July 13

July 20

Quebec

Quebec City

On July 7, Québec Palestine organized a demonstration in the St-Roch district of Lower Town in Quebec City with the theme "Our Existence Is Resistance." The organizers explained that there are many ways to resist, and called on everyone to find their own way.

A representative of the Wendat First Nation led the demonstration, pointing out at the start of the march that it was taking place on the unceded land of the Wendat nation. She emphasized their nation's link with the Palestinians, who have also never ceded their land.

The demonstrators protested acts of racial profiling, the dispatch of 40 police officers to dislodge 10 campers from the Student Camp for Palestine on the grounds of Laval University, and other similar events on Montreal campuses.

The march stopped in front of the constituency office of Jean-Yves Duclos, Canada's Minister of Public Services and Procurement, complicit in the genocide by supplying material to Israel via his ministry. Demonstrators also denounced the complicity of Prime Minister Trudeau, Quebec Premier Legault and their governments.

July 7

Montreal

On July 13, over 400 people gathered at Parc François-Perrault in Montreal, in the heart of the neighborhood known as Petit Maghreb, to demand an end to the genocide in Palestine and to denounce the complicity of the Trudeau and Legault governments in the crimes committed by the Zionists. Palestinian youth led the action with conviction, slogans and songs in support of the Palestinian resistance and the heroic Palestinian people. On hearing that the same morning, genocidal Israeli forces had killed 90 people by attacking a camp for displaced persons in southern Gaza, the crowd shouted "Shame!" at the Zionist regime and their accomplices. The organizers were quick to point out that the Palestinian resistance and supporting actions around the world are what will put an end to the genocide. The liberation of Palestine is a factor for the liberation of all humanity, they added, to the applause of the crowd.

The entire march took place in the neighbourhood, which is home to a large community of people of Arab origin. Many people greeted the demonstrations with enthusiasm and emotion, coming out of shops, hairdressers and cafés and cheering from balconies as the march passed.

July 13

July 20

Ontario

Toronto

Hundreds of students, faculty and workers attended a rally July 3 called by the University of Toronto students at the People's Circle for Palestine encampment at King's College Circle. The 3:30 pm rally was followed by a march on campus and a press conference at 5:00 pm.

The previous day, the Ontario Superior Court had granted the university an injunction. The university informed the students that they had until 6:00 pm to take down their tents and leave the site or the police would forcibly remove them. The students decided to leave on their own terms to protect their community and prevent police violence and brutality against them. By 5:00 pm the site was clear and representatives of the students addressed the media and their supporters.

The students are demanding that the university disclose its financial holdings, divest from companies supplying Israel with weapons that are being used to carry out genocide against Palestinians, and cut ties with Israeli academic institutions. The university had refused to negotiate with them.

One student representative pointed out that the judge, while granting the injunction, found no evidence for the claims of the university and pro-Zionist media and organizations that the encampment protesters had engaged in violence or anti-Semitism.

A spokesperson called the encampment a great success because it brought students, faculty and community members together to demand that U of T end its complicity in Israel's genocide, growing stronger every day and exposing the university as standing on the wrong side of history.

Student spokespersons pledged the 18-year fight to get the university to disclose and divest its financial and other ties to Israel will continue.

Following the press conference, participants marched through the Toronto streets, chanting From the River to the Sea, Palestine Is Almost Free!, U of T, You Will See, Palestine Will be Free!, The More They Try to Silence Us, the Louder We Will Be!, Disclose, Divest, We Will Not Stop, We Will Not Rest! and other slogans. The march ended at the Israeli Consulate with more speeches and pledges to step up the work for a Free Palestine.

Rally closing the University of Toronto encampment, July 3

July 6

Niagara Falls

On July 21, some 2,000 Palestine supporters demonstrated in Niagara Falls in a cross-border Canada-U.S. joint rally, coming from as far away as Montreal. This was the biggest Palestine rally in Niagara since the events of October 2023 and the biggest cross-border peace rally in 30 years. The Canadian side marched from Stanley Ave. and Highway 420 to the border and on the U.S. side people gathered at Prospect Point Observation Point. Supporters came by chartered buses and car caravans.

Canadian side of border, July 21

U.S. side of Niagara Falls, July 21

Windsor

July 8

On July 10 students who camped out for two months on the campus of the University of Windsor to take a stand against Israel's brutal genocide against the Palestinian people and join the worldwide student Intifada announced that an agreement which met their demands had been signed with the University administration and as a result, they were ending their encampment.