What Does Gaza Have to Do With Calgary?

Canada sends millions in our tax dollars to fund Israel’s internationally recognized apartheid regime and genocide campaigns. Since Oct. 7 2023, Israel's latest genocide campaign - Canada has approved 28.5 million in arms exports to Israel.

With our tax dollars, Israel has destroyed every hospital, library, school, and university in Gaza, while dropping such leaflets all over Gaza (a city smaller than Calgary, with 3x the population as a result of Israel's forced displacement) - only to have the IDF shoot and kill thousands in designated “safe zones” and escape routes. 

CANADIAN ARMS EXPORTS 

The government of Canada says it has temporarily suspended the authorization of "new" arms export permits to Israel since January 8, 2024. However, the office of Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly has specifically said that arms export permits approved before January 8 remain in effect.

The Government has not canceled or suspended those permits, or any of the permits from previous years that are still open. Thus weapons and components can continue to be transferred to Israel under hundreds of permits approved prior to January 8. The Canadian Liberal Government has not stopped Canadian companies from continuing to transfer weapons to Israel under previously approved permits. Thus supporting the ongoing genocide and blood bath against Palestinian civilians.

Furthermore, the Liberal Government has claimed that it has not approved any new arms exports to Israel since January 8, 2024. However, Global Affairs Canada has not formalized the suspension by publishing a notice to exporters on the GAC website used for this purpose as is customary.  

From October to December 2023, Canada has approved $28.3 million dollars in arms export permits to Israel. This is more than any full year in the past 30 years, constituting some of the most destructive and deadly periods of Israel's violence on Gaza. And like all previously approved permits, non of these have been canceled or suspended.

"NON-LETHAL" EQUIPMENT

Since October 2023, the Liberal government has often used the "non-lethal" qualifier to describe arms exports to Israel. However, the term "non-lethal" has no legal meaning, and does not appear in domestic or international laws governing the arms trade. Global Affairs Canada has generally avoided providing examples of what is meant by "non-lethal" arms exports. The term may very well be used to describe weapon components, including weapon components used in lethal weapon systems. 

CANADA'S COMPLICITY IN ISRAEL'S ASSAULT ON GAZA

Though the Canadian government does not provide Israel weapons through a military aid program, Canadian companies do sell and export weapons, components and military technology to Israeli companies who then use it against humanitarian law and toward the continued genocide in Palestine. And this takes place with the express authorization of Global Affairs Canada. In other words, Canadian-made weapons are being used in human rights violations and Israel's plausible genocide and flagrant violations of international humanitarian law, in Palestine. 

Kelsey Gallagher, a researcher at the Canadian peace research group Project Ploughshares says "given Israel's appalling track record of violating international humanitarian law through its operation in Gaza, including ... war crimes, in no way is it appropriate for Canada to supply this ammunition" adding "moreover, as per Canada's obligation under the UN Arms Trade Treaty, it's illegal". 

Moreover, Canada and Israel have a strategic partnership with a significant defense and Security component, including a commitment to military cooperation. 

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COMPANIES AND INSTITUTIONS AIDING GENOCIDE IN CALGARY

Of the many institutions and companies found guilty for direct aid and/or complicity in genocide, some of these include the following:

• Lockheed Martin

In November 2004, Lockheed Martin completed its undertaking for industrial collaboration with Israeli companies and for offset acquisitions in Israel. Approximately 40 Israeli companies were positively impacted by this collaboration, particularly in military. 

Lockheed Martin provides particular support for the IOF "Israel Occupation Forces", allowing for superior advancement military air craft, as well as strengthening Israel's on ground forces. 

The city of Calgary hosts the office which develops the technology Lockheed Martin sells to Israel which is used to carry out the genocide of Palestinians. The Calgary Lockheed Martin office consist of a division called CDL Systems, a technology that was developed and founded in Calgary in 1992. The Calgary office develops technology, specifically VCSi, a product of the CDL Systems, which allows Israel to plan, monitor, and execute targeted air strikes on civilian infrastructure (such as hospitals and daycare centers). The nature of this technology allows the developers and those utilizing it, to to never have to even reckon with the fact that they are killing hundreds of thousands of civilians. 

These airstrikes can be planned and completed from a safe distance, while the civilians of Gaza have to deal with the horrific aftermath.

• Scotia Bank

Scotiabank has an investment of $327 million in Elbiet Systems which is an Israeli weapons manufacturer. Elbiet Systems is Israel's largest weapons manufacturer. They manufacture 85% of Israel's drones and up to 85% of their land-based military equipment.  Israel has destroyed over 70% of housing in Gaza, murdered over 180,000 men, women, and children (closer to over 200,000 people), and displaced more than 2 million people. Scotia bank owns 2.5% of Elbiet's outstanding shares, making the among Elbiet's top 5 shareholders.

Scotiabank's investments in Elbiet Systems is in contradiction with Canada's legally obliged arms embargo on Israel and the International Court of Justice's call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. 

• University of Calgary

The University of Calgary has a $75 million dollar partnership with Israel Institute of Technology, Technion. Technion is and Israeli University heavily involved in drone and weapon research and development for the Israeli military. Israel's national security has always been linked to Technion. From the origins of the air force to the design of advancing defensive technologies, Technion brainpower allows Israel to continue it's deadly onslaught of Palestinians people (that has been a continued colonial project for over 75 years).

Some new Technion Drones used in Gaza include:

• • • Xtend Drones: Technion in collaboration with the IOF Yiftach unit has developed a surveillance drone that can have a warhead mounted on it, transforming them into a weapon (Suicide drone). Xtend's man advantage is that it can be activated using reality eyewear and a joystick, making it possible to teach a person to operate it in an extremely short training session

    • Steadicopter Black Eagle Drone: Developed by Technion, this unmanned drone is currently being used to surveil and drop "payloads" on Palestinians

Technion is rapidly developing new militant technology that will advance the genocide of Palestinians. According to Technion Canada, 2024 "There are systems and products that many not have been used, but within a few months, and in some cases even less, will be implemented in the field".

In 2016, University of Calgary, in partnership with SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology). received a $75 million dollar grant over 7 years from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CREF) to implement the the Global Research Initiative in Sustainable Low Carbon Unconventional Resources (GRI), establishing a partnership with Israel Institute of Technology (Technion) as a part of the project.

In 2019, University of Calgary joined the academic delegation to Israel and secured a partnership with Technion. According to the University of Calgary, it aims to continue its partnership with Technion by facilitating technical workshops, research interactions, joint projects, and a visiting program to Israel, continuing to aid Technion as they develop weapons of mass destruction, killing hundreds and thousands of Palestinians, and maiming millions more. These partnerships continue until now, in 2024.

CANADIAN HYPOCRASY

Canada has openly and unequivocally denounced Hamas's attacks on October the 7th. Trudeau stated during a televised press conference "Israel has the right to defend itself in accordance with international law". However, Trudeau and his government has continued to maintain a defining silence against 76 years of Israel's international violations against Palestinian territories (including in the West Bank), and the Liberal Government has proudly sponsored and continues to support the bloody genocide in Gaza.

Under International Law, an occupied people are allowed to resist their occupation (including through violent means). October 7th, 2023 was not an astonishing, "random attack" on Israel. It was a small scale, desperate response of a people who continually face brutalization, ethnic cleansing, and are subject to the deadly violence of what is Internationally recognized as the Apartheid regime of Israel. When people are occupied, resistence is justified. 251 Israeli hostages were only taken after Israel held over 5,000 Palestinian Hostages for years, with impunity and a global silence. 1,200 Israeli's killed during October 7th, was done not entirely by Hamas, but a crossfire between Hamas and Israel. Hamas doesn't exist in the West Bank. Yet children face violent death and are regularly maimed along with Palestinian men and women, daily. 

Canada expressed grief over the Israeli hostages taken during October 7th, however remained fully silent regarding the +5,000 hostages residing in Israeli prisons, which Human rights organizations have unequivocally condemned. 

The United Nations World Food Programme said crucial supplies were running dangerously low in Gaza. Trudeau did not respond directly when asked whether Israel's blockade conformed with international law, but stands in unequivocal support for Israel even as Israel is being tried at the World Court for Genocide against the Palestinian people.