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To: Bill Blair, Canadian Minister of National Defence
Cancel Testing Of Israeli Arms Tech Used On Palestinians in Alberta
Dear Mr. Blair,
As Canadians, we are deeply concerned about Canada’s Department of National Defence (DND) hosting trial sessions for Israeli arms technology, which has been utilized in ways that violate human rights and international law. The upcoming “sandbox” event in Alberta from May 27 to June 21 raises serious ethical and moral questions regarding Canada's involvement in facilitating the testing of weaponry used in the oppression of Palestinians and the maintenance of apartheid and occupation.
The DND should not be providing a platform for military suppliers to test products designed to counter aerial drones, with the assistance of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) staff and experts. The most deplorable of these these suppliers is "Twenty20 Insight Inc.," which will be testing the “Smash Hopper counter-drone weapon station,” developed and manufactured by the Israeli arms company “Smart Shooter.”
Smart Shooter’s technology is being used by the Israeli military in fortifications to suppress Palestinian dissent in the occupied West Bank, as well as in military hardware deployed in Israel’s assault on Gaza which is deeply troubling. Any country that engages in the sale or import of weapons from Israel becomes complicit in the surveillance, control, and violence inflicted upon Palestinian civilians.
Given these concerns, we urge you to take immediate action:
Cancel the upcoming trial sessions for Israeli arms technology scheduled to take place in Alberta.
Impose a two-way arms embargo to prohibit the sale and import of weapons between Canada and Israel.
By cancelling the event and imposing an arms embargo, Canada can demonstrate its commitment to upholding human rights, international law, and peace in the region. It is imperative that Canada refrains from contributing to the perpetuation of violence and oppression against Palestinians.
We urge you to prioritize ethical considerations and take decisive action to address this issue promptly.
As Canadians, we are deeply concerned about Canada’s Department of National Defence (DND) hosting trial sessions for Israeli arms technology, which has been utilized in ways that violate human rights and international law. The upcoming “sandbox” event in Alberta from May 27 to June 21 raises serious ethical and moral questions regarding Canada's involvement in facilitating the testing of weaponry used in the oppression of Palestinians and the maintenance of apartheid and occupation.
The DND should not be providing a platform for military suppliers to test products designed to counter aerial drones, with the assistance of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) staff and experts. The most deplorable of these these suppliers is "Twenty20 Insight Inc.," which will be testing the “Smash Hopper counter-drone weapon station,” developed and manufactured by the Israeli arms company “Smart Shooter.”
Smart Shooter’s technology is being used by the Israeli military in fortifications to suppress Palestinian dissent in the occupied West Bank, as well as in military hardware deployed in Israel’s assault on Gaza which is deeply troubling. Any country that engages in the sale or import of weapons from Israel becomes complicit in the surveillance, control, and violence inflicted upon Palestinian civilians.
Given these concerns, we urge you to take immediate action:
Cancel the upcoming trial sessions for Israeli arms technology scheduled to take place in Alberta.
Impose a two-way arms embargo to prohibit the sale and import of weapons between Canada and Israel.
By cancelling the event and imposing an arms embargo, Canada can demonstrate its commitment to upholding human rights, international law, and peace in the region. It is imperative that Canada refrains from contributing to the perpetuation of violence and oppression against Palestinians.
We urge you to prioritize ethical considerations and take decisive action to address this issue promptly.
Why is this important?
Those of us on Turtle Island/Canada are responsible to do what we can to end the genocide happening in Gaza. For seven months we have seen horrors that no one should experience. I hear the screams and see the fear in the children’s eyes, the suffering of parents who have lost their children and partners. The weapons and weapons manufacturers responsible for developing the murderous technology must not be welcomed by our government. We must demand that our government ends its complicity and cancels this event.