Thank you to the Chair, and thank you to the committee for the invitation.

This study has been focused on the question of whether Canada should recognize the State of Palestine. We believe that it should do so immediately. While recognition would not automatically end Israel's unlawful occupation of Palestine, it would strengthen the ability of Palestinians to seek justice in international forums, including the UN General Assembly or the International Criminal Court.

Over 145 countries already recognize Palestine, including European countries such as Ireland, Spain and Norway. Canada can and should follow their lead without delay.

However, I want to talk more broadly about what Canada can do to advance Palestinian self-determination, especially in light of the recent advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice. I want to emphasize that I'm talking about self-determination and not necessarily a two-state solution. This is because it would be irresponsible not to mention the widespread and growing belief that Israel has deliberately killed the possibility of creating a viable and independent Palestinian state.

Israel's actions on the ground are explicitly intended to prevent the creation of a state and to guarantee Israeli domination on a permanent basis, while Israel's parliament overwhelmingly voted against the idea of a Palestinian state, in principle, ever. In this context, we need to be open to the possibility that a two-state solution may already be dead and that self-determination may have to be advanced through other means—for example, through a single shared democratic state in which all peoples have full equality.

To be sure, this is not a question for my organization to decide, nor for the Canadian government to dictate. It is up to Palestinians themselves. This much is clear: To advance Palestinian self-determination, whether that ultimately involves one state or two, Canada must impose meaningful pressure on Israel to force an end to its illegal control over Palestinian lives and territory.

The ICJ, in its recent opinion, found that Israel's presence in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza is illegal and must end as rapidly as possible. The ICJ was clear that the right of Palestinians to self-determination is inalienable and cannot be subject to the conditions of the occupying power. In other words, Israel does not get a veto over Palestinian freedom. Canada cannot continue to allow Israel to use non-existent negotiations as a justification for denying Palestinians their basic rights as a people.

We've heard it said repeatedly by committee members that Canada supports a two-state solution, but I don't actually believe this is true. This is because long-standing Canadian policy has contributed to, and profited from, Israel's illegal takeover of Palestinian territory. In many ways, Canada is still wearing the rose-coloured glasses of the Oslo period in the mid-1990s when there was this false optimism that peace talks would give rise to a two-state solution. During this period, Canada ended its arms embargo against Israel, which had been imposed under the Mulroney government. Canada also signed a free trade agreement with Israel, which was extended to all territories under Israeli control, including settlements in occupied Palestine.

There was a belief that these gestures would serve as a peace dividend that would encourage the Israeli government to complete the process. However, rather than promote peace, this failed approach has incentivized Israel to double down on its annexationist agenda. Israel instead accelerated its illegal and colonial activities, more than tripling the number of settlements and killing tens of thousands of Palestinians in the subsequent period.

For the last three decades, Canada's pro-Israel policies have given the green light for Israel to consolidate its permanent control over Palestine and to cement a system of apartheid over millions of people. Even today, Canada clings to this anachronistic approach, which has utterly failed to bring us any closer to ending Israel's illegal presence in Palestine. It has only demonstrated to Israel's leaders that there will be no consequences for defying international law. Not even Israel's acts of genocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza have been enough to push Canada to hold Israeli leaders accountable.

In order to break from this shameful pattern of impunity and to comply with Canada's obligations as outlined by the ICJ, meaningful economic pressure is needed, including sanctions. At a minimum, these measures should include a comprehensive two-way arms embargo using the Special Economic Measures Act, the suspension of the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement, a ban on trade with settlements, and sanctions on Israeli political and military leaders.

It is more urgent than ever for Canada to use every tool available to safeguard the rights of the Palestinian people.

Thank you.