Support Bil’in’s historic court case
August 3, 2008
Bil’in is calling on supporters from all over the world to join them in solidarity actions during the court case in Canada. The village also needs your help setting up and financing a legal fund to fight the court case, which currently is in need of approximately $50,000.
Please consider doing any one or more of the following
Donate through Medical Aid for Palestine
Online : To make a contribution Worldwide (Canada included), click on the button below. Then, in « Fund/Designation » menu box, click to choose « Campaign to support Bil’in » and proceed with your payment. Any Resident of Canada will receive an income tax receipt before the end of the fiscal year. For people outside Canada, please note that the Website receives donations in Canadian dollars only, here is a link to help you for the conversion.
Donations can also be sent by cheque to the order of MEDICAL AID FOR PALESTINE, please write « Campaign to support Bil’in » on the reverse side. Mail your cheque to:
MEDICAL AID FOR PALESTINE
5722, St. André Street
Montreal QC H2S 2K1
Canada
Donate through Paypal
Click on « Send money online ». The email to send it to is donate.bilin@gmail.com. For more information on how to send a tax deductable donation in the US, contact palreports@gmail.com.
Also:
- Circulate and publicize a petition of support for the village of Bil’in
- Hold a fundraising party for the Bil’in case in your home or organization
- Add this link to your blog, website, and organization website so visitors can donate to the fund
- Hold demonstrations of support outside the court in Montreal, and in the city at large
- Hold demonstrations where the companies are registered
- Write letters to the editor of local, regional, and national papers, expressing outrage that Canadian companies and Canadian citizens are involved in war crimes
Letter from Bil'in's Popular Committee
Dear friends,
As you may already know, the village of Bil’in recently announced the launch of an unprecedented legal action against two Canadian companies, Green Park International Inc. and Green Mount International Inc., charging them with war crimes. The case has been filed in the Quebec Superior Court in Montreal, Canada.
Bil’in charges that these companies have violated both international law and Canadian domestic law by acting as agents of Israel, illegally constructing residences and other buildings in the West Bank, a territory internationally recognized as illegally occupied due to an act of war in 1967. According to the Fourth Geneva Convention and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, an occupying power may not transfer its civilian population into territory that it has occupied as a result of war. Canada has similar prohibitions under its Canadian Geneva Conventions Act and its Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act. Moreover, the Canadian statutes have jurisdiction over all its citizens everywhere, regardless of where in the world the offence has been committed.
Bil’in is seeking an immediate Order from the Canadian Supreme Court that these companies halt their illegal construction and provide punitive damages and other relief to the village. Upon obtaining such an Order in Canada, Bil’in intends to petition the Israeli Court to enforce the Canadian Court Order in Israel and the West Bank.
This landmark court case aims to bring international companies active in illegal settlement construction to justice. Bil’in’s case is strong, and the lawsuit will foreground the political issue of settlement colonialism as well as the legal responsibility of perpetrators abroad, regardless of the case’s actual outcome. However, if the outcome of the case is positive, other companies in other countries could be dealt with in a similar manner.
