Canada Must Hold Palestinian Leaders Accountable
This weekend, the Palestinian Authority broke an explicit commitment on which Canada’s recognition of Palestinian statehood was based: holding general elections in 2026 in which Hamas would have no role.
CIJA is calling on the Government of Canada to hold Palestinian leaders accountable or else it risks a dangerous double standard that has consequences for the safety of Canadians.
Also in this newsletter, an opportunity to watch Part One of Standing Up for the Jewish Community: Three Years of Legal Action, featuring the lawyers behind CIJA’s Legal Task Force.
Shavua Tov,
CIJA Team
Just over a year ago, Prime Minister Mark Carney recognized Palestinian statehood predicated on commitments made by the Palestinian Authority (PA), including holding general elections in 2026 without Hamas and undertaking much-needed reforms.
Now, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in the 21st year of what was originally a four-year presidential term, has confirmed that elections will not take place this year. Hamas welcomed the postponement as “a step in the right direction,” amid reports that the decision was made by the PA in cooperation with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The PA has also failed to deliver on promised reforms, including ending payments to terrorists and the families of those who murdered innocent civilians.
While the Canadian government pursues punitive measures and sanctions against Israel, it has offered no indication of what consequences the PA will face for failing to deliver on its commitments.
This double standard has implications for the prospects for peace in the region and here at home, where security experts have warned that criticism of Israel has been exploited to fuel antisemitism, violence and even acts of terror.
Join CIJA in calling on the Government of Canada to Hold Palestinian Leaders Accountable by sharing the post below and tagging Canada’s foreign Minister @AnitaAnandMP.
On October 8, in Part One of Standing Up for the Jewish Community: Three Years of Legal Action, a two-part community webinar series highlighting how CIJA's Legal Task Force (LTF), a national network of volunteer lawyers and CIJA staff who are fighting antisemitism through the law, hundreds of people heard first hand from lawyers how we have taken action through the law to hold accountable those who seek to marginalize, intimidate and discriminate against Jewish Canadians — particularly in K–12 schools, on university campuses, in unions and in criminal cases.