Martel, Ondaatje among 70 writers calling on Israel to stop evictions
OTTAWA — The best- selling authors of Life of Pi and The English Patient have joined dozens of other Canadian writers opposing Israeli government efforts to evict and forcibly resettle thousands of Palestinians and Bedouins.
In an open letter to Canadian and Israeli leaders, Yann Martel, Michael Ondaatje and 68 other Canadian authors and poets say the evictions “are manifestly unjust, and will gravely damage Israel’s international reputation.”
They are calling on Israeli authorities to respect the Palestinians’ and Bedouins’ rights and stop their plans, and for the Canadian government “to take diplomatic steps to encourage Israeli leaders to heed this call.”
The Conservative government has not responded to the letter, which was also signed by federally appointed poet laureate Fred Wah and Giller Prize- winning author Vincent Lam.
The Israeli Embassy could not comment over the past two days, though one pro- Israel group alleges the letter is based on “false premises.”
In interviews, several of the writers said they don’t believe the letter will prompt a sudden change of heart by the Israeli or Canadian leaders.
However, they say they felt a moral obligation to speak out and try to at least draw public attention to what is happening, particularly given the Harper government’s unwavering support for Israel.
“It’s so obviously an injustice on the part of the Israeli government,” Martel told Postmedia News in an interview from Saskatoon.
“You don’t need to be living on the ground there to realize that this is not the way to have peace in the Middle East. So I signed on because to me it was the obvious right thing to do.”
The letter and signature collection were organized by Montrealbased Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, and raises concerns about two Israeli government plans.
If you’re going to have a firing zone, why don’t you have it on your own land, not in occupied land?
YANN MARTEL
AUTHOR OF LIFE OF PI
The first is the eviction of hundreds of Palestinians from their villages in the hills of South Hebron, a part of the West Bank occupied by Israeli military since the territory was captured in a war in 1967.
Israel has declared the area a military firing zone, and says it wants to move the Palestinians to ensure their safety.
But critics allege the Israeli government is trying to illegally annex the land, which Palestinians claim as their own and which Canada and most of the rest of the international community do not recognize as belonging to the Jewish state.
“If you’re going to have a firing zone, why don’t you have it on your own land, not in occupied land?” Martel asked.
“No one recognizes the occupation of the West Bank. Not a single government in the world recognizes it as a legal occupation. So the hypocrisy, the injustice of it is so obvious.”
The dispute has been winding its way through Israel’s court system, and was to be heard by the country’s Supreme Court this week but was instead delayed again. Twenty- five prominent Israeli writers voiced objections to the South Hebron evictions in their own letter last month, which CJPME senior policy analyst Joan MacNeil said is what inspired her group to pen a Canadian version.
The second issue relates to a bill entitled the Prawer- Begin Law that would forcibly resettle tens of thousands of Bedouins of Israeli citizenship from land and villages near the Negev Desert.
The Israeli government says it wants to clear up long- standing land disputes and provide services such as water and electricity to the Bedouin in established townships, a point that was reiterated by Shimon Fogel, head of the Toronto- based Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs.
“The Prawer- Begin plan is a very well thought out approach that endeavours to balance traditional needs with a better life for the Bedouin and is endorsed by the vast majority of Bedouins,” Fogel said in an email.
But the Canadian letter urges Israeli lawmakers to reject Prawer- Begin, saying it would result in the destruction of up to 35 Bedouin villages and “violates the constitutional rights of the Bedouin to property, dignity and equality.”
“It’s nothing but ethnic cleansing,” bestselling author and renowned addiction expert Gabor Mate said in an interview from British Columbia.
Mate said as a Jewish Canadian and Holocaust survivor, he felt a personal conviction to add his signature to the letter.
“One thing I’ve learned is you don’t be quiet when things happen that shouldn’t happen.”
MacNeil admitted surprise to the number of authors who agreed to affix their signatures, adding: “Canadian writers are showing more backbone than Canada’s politicians.”