e-5244 (Foreign affairs)

Petition to the Government of Canada

• We recognize UN Charter, Article 1, Paragraph 2 - the right to self-determination as a fundamental principle of international law. The Palestinian people have an inherent right to self-determination and sovereignty over their land, alongside the State of Israel, as affirmed by UN General Assembly Resolution 1514 (1960);
• We support Security Council Resolution 242 (1967), i.e. the withdrawal of Israeli forces from occupied territories and “the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war.” General Assembly Resolution 67/19 (2012) granted Palestine non-member observer state status in the UN General Assembly Resolution 3236 (1974), affirmed the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including the right to self-determination and independence;
• We underscore the commitment under the Fourth Geneva Convention (1949), according to which all nations are obligated to protect the rights of civilians under occupation and prevent the transfer of an occupying power’s civilian population into the occupied territory. In the case of Palestine, Israel's ongoing occupation and settlement expansion fail to comply with these legal obligations; and
• Most UN Member States recognize Palestine as a state. Without Canada’s recognition, Palestinians still face limitations in expressing their interests in the global arena through established state mechanisms. Recognition would align Canada with other nations that support a two-state solution, potentially helping to shift influence away from destabilizing non-state actors and strengthen entities committed to peaceful resolution.