Palestinian Canadians sue Foreign Minister Joly over arms exports to Israel

Sending military goods to Israel during Gaza war violates Canadian and international law, lawsuit argues.

Palestinian Canadians and human rights lawyers are suing Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly over exports of military equipment to Israel, which they argue violate Canada’s obligations under domestic and international law.

The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday, asks a federal court to order the Canadian government to stop issuing export permits for military goods and technology destined for Israel.

It also asks the court to deem the issuance of such permits unlawful.

“We are seeking to hold Canada to its own standards and to its international legal obligations,” said Henry Off, board member of Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights (CLAIHR), one of the groups involved in the case.

Military exports to Israel have come under greater scrutiny since October 7 when the Israeli military launched a military offensive in the Gaza Strip that has now killed more than 30,000 Palestinians. Thousands of others are believed to be dead, buried under rubble.

CLAIHR wrote an open letter to the Canadian government in late January, urging Ottawa to “immediately halt” all exports due to concerns the weapons could be used in human rights violations against Palestinians in the coastal enclave.