[Bloquez l'empire!] Apartheid Economics: Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement

[Tadamon!]

* Apartheid Economics: Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement

Interview with Kole Kilibarda of the Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid
conducted by Stefan Christoff for Fighting FTAs.

http://tadamon.resist.ca/index.php/post/1235

Canada's first trade accord signed outside the western hemisphere was with 
Israel in 1997. International trade relations with Canada, the U.S. and the 
European Union are essential components to Israel's economy, creating external 
markets for Israeli products to be sold, while embedding Israeli economic 
activity within the international market. Today, Palestinians are appealing for 
an international campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions on Israel, in 
response to the ongoing occupation of Palestine defined by a military enforced 
apartheid facing the Palestinian people.

Throughout the Middle East a strong campaign against the normalization of 
economic and political relations with Israel remains. Kole Kilibarda is an 
organizer with the Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid in Toronto, which is 
campaigning against the Israel-Canada free trade agreement. Kilibarda explains 
the details of the Canada-Israel trade agreement, while offering a critique on 
Canada's interest in maintaining a trade accord with Israel.


Stefan Christoff: Can you provide a break-down on your critique of the 
Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement, which the Coalition Against Israeli 
Apartheid -- the organization you work with -- is currently campaigning 
against.

Kole Kilibarda: Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement was initialed on January 
1st, 1997, the first agreement that Canada signed with a trade partner outside 
the western hemisphere. Since 1997 the trade volume between Canada and Israel 
has been increasing.

Currently the bilateral trade volume stands at around one-billion dollars. 
Canada has tried to peruse additional free-trade agreements with other 
countries in the region, although today the Canada-Israel trade agreement is 
the central trade agreement in the region.

Also there is the Canadian-Palestinian Framework for Economic Cooperation and 
Trade that exists, although this is a dormant document and there is little 
bilateral trade with the Palestinian Authority. Since the Palestinian elections 
in 2005 economic relations have been basically frozen. A large disconnection 
exists between Canada's trade relations with Israel and with the Palestinian 
Authority.

Importantly the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement aims to legitimize Israeli 
territorial control over all of historic Palestine. Within the body of the 
trade agreement, there is an implicit legitimization of Israel's occupation 
through defining Israel as the territory where Israel's custom laws are applied 
[which technically includes the West Bank and Gaza Strip given Israel is the 
occupying power]. Wording within the Canada-Israel trade agreement is very 
different from the European Union.s trade agreement with Israel which 
explicitly doesn't include the territories that Israel occupies.

Canada's trade agreement with Israel applies to the entire territory of 
historic Palestine, including the territories that Israel has occupied since 
1967, the West Bank and Gaza, as Canada's trade agreement is based on the areas 
that Israel maintains territorial control over, not on internationally 
recognized borders.

Also the Canada-Israel trade agreement includes a point which specifies that 
both trade partners must pursue their obligations under the United Nation's 
Charter, which aims to maintain "international peace and security". Between 
2000 and 2005 Canada voted to censor Israeli behavior 115 times at the U.N., 
despite this fact the trade agreement continues. Essentially this means that 
the Canadian government is running counter to their own obligations under the 
agreement, which specifies that the trade agreement is contingent on respect 
for international law by both Canada and Israel. Basically Canada is condoning 
Israel's multiple violations of international law.

Much of the agreement is also rooted in Canada's economic relationship with the 
U.S., as one of the main points of the agreement is to liberalize trade with 
the U.S., as Israeli products transiting through the U.S. -- with minor 
modifications done in the U.S. -- would also be treated as Israeli products and 
fall under the terms of the Canada-Israel trade agreement. In certain cases 
this agreement is more liberal than NAFTA, in other cases it's not, however it 
is an opening for Israeli-U.S. products to enter Canada.

Stefan Christoff: Can you discuss the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement within 
the context of Canada's economic interests in the Middle East, as the 
government is currently pushing additional bilateral trade agreements in the 
region.

Kole Kilibarda: Canadian political interests in the Middle East have increased 
quite broadly in recent years, which directly relates to trade policy. The 
Canada-Israel trade agreement is now being utilized as a launching point for 
the Canadian government to peruse additional trade accords with pro-western 
authoritarian regimes in countries like Jordan and Egypt, countries which 
already have trade relations with Israel.

Israel is a strategically important trade partner in the region because it's 
the only country in the area that has trade agreements with the E.U., the U.S. 
and Canada. So Israel is a starting point for regional penetration, in terms of 
trade policy.

Clearly Canada is also involved in contracting out military related work in 
Iraq and also deeply involved in Afghanistan, so cementing a strong regional 
alliance with Israel -- essentially a settler outpost of western interests in 
the Middle East -- is very important for Canada.

Stefan Christoff: Can you talk about other trade accords or development 
agreements between Israel and Canada?

Kole Kilibarda: In terms of direct defense-industrial ties, Canada and Israel 
have initialed an agreement called the Canada-Israel Industrial Research and 
Development Fund, a yearly fund that amounts to about three-million dollars a 
year, providing seed money to joint Israeli-Canadian projects.

Among projects funded by this agreement are a number of defense-industrial 
projects. For example this joint Canada-Israel program is funding the 
development of the Guardium - Autonomous Security Vehicle, which involves 
LAHAV, Israel Aerospace Industries.

This military vehicle is designed to patrol border fortifications, like the 
Israel's Apartheid wall in Palestine, or the walls being currently constructed 
on the Mexico-U.S. border, built to neutralize "terrorist threats" according to 
the official description. Basically it's a kill-vehicle that's robotically 
operated to patrol the boundaries that militarized states such as Israel and 
the U.S. are trying to protect from resistance movements.

Development surrounding this particular military vehicle points to the type of 
collaboration that is happening, described as "mutually beneficial relations", 
between Canada and Israel under the Canada-Israel free-trade agreement and the 
Canada-Israel Industrial Research and Development Fund.

Stefan Christoff: Could you expand on why the organization you are involved in, 
the Coalition against Israeli Apartheid, finds trade relations, or specifically 
the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement, an important point to organize around 
in Canada? Often the political message heard within the Palestine solidarity 
movement directly addresses Israel's military occupation of Palestine however 
details on economic policies are seldom addressed. In this context could you 
explain why the Coalition against Israeli Apartheid has chosen to focus on 
trade relations between Canada-Israel?

Kole Kilibarda: The Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid sees this agreement as 
particularly threatening is because the agreement legitimizing Israeli 
occupation, while concretizing Israeli apartheid, while deepening the 
involvement of Canadian industry in the suppression of Palestinian human 
rights. Clearly this agreement is not acceptable in the context of the daily 
reality of Israeli apartheid; defined by military occupation and war crimes 
targeting the Palestinian people.

One of the first articles of the Canada-Israel trade agreement outlines the 
conditions of trade with Israel as applying to "the territory where its customs 
laws are applied," due to Israel's military occupation includes the Palestinian 
territories. This point is contrary to international law, it legitimizes 
Israel's occupation and control over Palestine.

Also in addressing this particular agreement between Canada-Israel it.s 
essential to highlight and recognize that this agreement is part of a broader 
regional push from Canada, also from the U.S. to expand economic activity and 
investment in the Middle East, as best illustrated in the aggressive pursuit of 
trade partnerships or investment agreements throughout the Middle East with 
authoritarian regimes.

The Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement is just the entry point to a broad range 
of province to state agreements, between Canadian provinces and Israel, 
including Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec which all have agreements with 
the Israeli government, all which are important accords to organize against.

Additionally it must be noted that while bilateral trade between Canada and 
Israel is now at one-billion dollars annually, overall direct investment 
between the countries stands between three to four billion dollars. Clearly an 
expansion of the Israel-Canada trade agreement at a national level, also at a 
provincial level is being pushed.


* This interview was originally produced by journalist Stefan Christoff for the 
Fighting FTAs project, an international project that provides a global picture 
on free trade agreements (FTAs), and insight into struggles being waged by 
social movements fighting back.

Info: http://www.fightingftas.org

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