We welcome the ruling of Canada's federal court on the illegality of labeling wine originating from illegal Israeli
settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, as products made in Israel. This is an
important first step for Canada and beyond, as this landmark ruling is an affirmation of the supremacy of the law and
Canada’s obligation to respect international law, which considers settlements illegal and does not recognize them as
part of Israel.
In light of this important ruling, the Palestinian leadership calls on the Canadian government to act in accordance with
Canadian and international laws and amend, without delay, the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
(Bill C-85), which affords products originating from illegal Israeli settlements tariff free status, in flagrant
violation of Canada's obligations under international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, and United Nations
Security Council resolutions, including resolution 2334 (2016). This ruling now clearly demonstrates that the agreement
also violates Canadian law and values.
Further, we call on all other states, particularly the European Union, Israel's largest trading partner, to apply EU and
international laws to its agreements with Israel. It is long overdue for the EU to take the minimal step of properly
labeling products originating from Israel's illegal settlements and to ensure that its partnership agreements do not
further enable or favor the continued looting of Palestinian natural resources and the profiteering from the commission
is a war crime, as defined in the Rome Statute.
Israel's illegal settlement regime is the embodiment of its colonial agenda in Palestine and its determined efforts to
deny the Palestinian people their inalienable rights to self-determination and freedom. The obligation of all states to
respect international law and the Palestinian people’s national rights is absolute. Such respect can only be ensured by
practical steps that deny Israel and complicit companies the ability to profiteer from the colonial occupation and the
flagrant violations of international law. Accountability is the shortest and most assured path to justice.