It’s not just Gaza anymore (it never was). The attempted erasure of Palestinians from the West Bank – the West Bank *of the Jordan River*, not of Israel – is ramping up. The spitefulness of the tactics is appalling: in a moment of climate change, in a precarious desert-adjacent ecosystem, would who uproot thriving olive trees that are 100s of years old, providing shade, water cycling and beloved food?
And so, a letter to the foreign minister courtesy of Kairos Canada (not to be confused with Kairos Palestine).
I am deeply concerned that the Israeli military and settlers are escalating the displacement, dispossession and violence of Palestinians in the West Bank. Ms Anand, your failure to say anything substantive in condemnation of Israel’s denial of entry to 6 MPs deepens that concern.
In a recent report (Dec 4, 2025) the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) provides the following update on the humanitarian situation in the West Bank (January 1 to December 1, 2025):
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227 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers.
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Over 95,000 Palestinians were affected by expanded operations by Israeli forces in the northern West Bank.
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1,680 documented attacks by Israeli settlers in more than 270 communities across the West Bank - an average of five incidents per day.
In a landmark ruling in July 2024, the International Court of Justice determined that the settlements are illegal, must be dismantled immediately and all settlers removed from East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
In September of this year, Canada, along with France, the UK and Australia recognized the State of Palestine. This was a step in the right direction. Yet, Israel’s expansion of settlements and outposts, annexation of Palestinian land and dispossession of Palestinian families and communities threaten the very existence of a Palestinian state.
Ms. Anand, I urgently appeal to you to use your role in Parliament to ensure that Canada:
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Reaffirms its conviction and policy regarding the illegality of settlements and outposts in the West Bank under international law,
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Expands its existing sanction on settler violence in the West Bank to include sanctions on the State of Israel,
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Condemns Israel’s annexation plans, land theft and violent displacement and dispossession of Palestinians in the West Bank as illegal under international law and a deliberate strategy to undermine a Palestinian state, now recognized by Canada.
The settlements are expanding literally daily – settlements that are clearly illegal under international law and not a single one should exist in the first place, much less expand. As long as you continue to "stand with Israel", Ms. Anand, every word you speak about commitment to human rights is meaningless at best, outright lies at worst.
Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.
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