[tadamon-l] 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

''''''''''''''''''''''