Winnipeg Free Press

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MERCURY Rocking Recliner NOW ONLY $ 849 orig. $ 1399 2 Colours Available WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM ● A13 O TTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called for Israel to “re- spond substantively” to the top United Nations court’s recent advisory opinion that Israel’s presence in the oc- cupied Palestinian territories is unlaw- ful and that it should end. The International Court of Justice’s non-binding opinion released last week was an unprecedented, sweeping con- demnation of Israel’s rule over the lands it captured 57 years ago. Trudeau responded to the court’s advice as part of a joint statement from Canada, Australia and New Zea- land Friday, calling for the reversal of settlements in the West Bank. The statement, released by the Prime Minister’s Office, calls on Israel to “en- sure accountability for ongoing acts of violence against Palestinians by extremist settlers, reverse the record expansion of settlements in the West Bank which are illegal under inter- national law, and work towards a two- state solution.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly denounced the non-binding opinion last week and in- sisted the territories are part of the Jewish people’s historic homeland. In written submissions, Israel said the questions put to the court fail to ad- dress Israeli security concerns. Israeli officials have said the court’s interven- tion could undermine the peace pro- cess, which has been stagnant for more than a decade. “The Jewish people are not conquer- ors in their own land — not in our eter- nal capital Jerusalem and not in the land of our ancestors in Judea and Sam- aria,” Netanyahu said in a statement issued by his office last week, using the biblical terms for the West Bank. “No false decision in The Hague will distort this historical truth and like- wise the legality of Israeli settlement in all the territories of our homeland cannot be contested.” The court said Israel had no right to sovereignty in the territories, was violating international laws against acquiring territory by force and was impeding Palestinians’ right to self- determination. It said other nations were obliged not to “render aid or assistance in main- taining” Israel’s presence in the terri- tories. The statement by Canada, Australia and New Zealand did not promise any particular action or changes to their own policies or relationships with Is- rael. “Israel must listen to the concerns of the international community,” the statement reads. The court’s advice was released as Israel faces increasing global criticism for the deaths and suffering of thou- sands of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which has been ravaged by the conflict between Israel and Hamas. “The protection of civilians is para- mount and a requirement under inter- national humanitarian law. Palestinian civilians cannot be made to pay the price of defeating Hamas. It must end,” the countries said in the statement. Canada, Australia and New Zealand renewed calls for an immediate cease- fire and said they stand behind a pro- posed deal outlined by United States President Joe Biden and endorsed by the UN Security Council. “We call on parties to the conflict to agree to the deal. Any delay will only see more lives lost,” they said. Canada, Australia and New Zealand say Hamas must lay down its arms and release all Israeli hostages and that they see no role for Hamas in the future governance of Gaza and an eventual two-state solution. Israel’s ambassador to Canada, Iddo Moed, said calling for a two-state solu- tion at this time doesn’t coincide with the reality in the region or offer prac- tical help to Palestinians. The end of the hostilities in Gaza is contingent on Hamas releasing more than 100 hostages, laying down arms and no longer using Palestinian civilian shields, he said in a statement Friday. “Israel will continue to defend itself against hostile attacks on seven fronts, all directed by Iran through its proxies in the region,” Moed said in the state- ment. “We call upon Canada, as a nation that values international law and insti- tutions that uphold it, to do all it can to prevent those who try to disrupt global order from achieving their goals.” The conflict in Gaza began after Hamas launched a terrorist attack in Israel on Oct. 7 that killed an estimated 1,200 people. The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza says more than 39,100 Palestinians have been killed in the war. In the joint statement, the three countries expressed concern about the prospect of the conflict escalating and expanding as a result of attacks on Is- rael by Iran and the Houthis and the un- stable and increasingly hostile situation at the Lebanese border between Israel and the terrorist organization Hezbol- lah. — The Canadian Press, with Associated Press files OTTAWA — The criminal trial of a prominent organ- izer of the 2022 “Freedom Convoy” heard final argu- ments Friday in a case that centres on the line between the right to protest and un- lawful behaviour. The defence maintains Alberta resident Pat King was peacefully protesting during the three-week demonstration in Ottawa that gridlocked downtown streets to oppose COVID-19 public health restrictions. Meanwhile, the Crown al- leges he was a leader in that demonstration and was in- strumental in the disruption it caused the city and people who lived and worked near- by. King has pleaded not guilty to mischief, counsel- ling others to commit mis- chief, obstructing police and other offences. The convoy attracted thousands of demonstrators to Parliament Hill in pro- test against public-health restrictions, COVID-19 vac- cine mandates and the fed- eral government. The Superior Court judge is expected to rule on the case on Oct. 4. Defence lawyer Natasha Calvinho wrapped up her arguments on Friday by asking the court to dismiss the charges against King and blamed police, city of- ficials and other protest- ers for allowing tensions to escalate during the protest. Calvinho argued King was a peaceful protester and was not in any way a “leader.” “They did have the right to be downtown and peace- fully protest,” Calvinho told the court Friday. The Crown is relying mainly on King’s own vid- eos, which he posted to so- cial media throughout the protest to document the demonstration and com- municate with protesters. Crown prosecutor Emma Loignon-Giroux alleged King co-ordinated the honk- ing from massive big rigs across the downtown core, and ordered them to lay on the horn every 30 minutes for 10 minutes at a time. He also told people to “hold the line” when he al- legedly knew police and the city wanted protesters gone, Loignon-Giroux said in her closing arguments. She pointed to one par- ticular instance, when King helped move 80 trucks to block off a major street in downtown by “turning it into a three-lane parking lot.” He encouraged his so- cial media followers to help gridlock the city and led a convoy of trucks who rolled slowly down a local high- way and around the Ottawa airport to grind traffic to a near halt, she said. “We all have as Can- adian citizens the right of freedom of expression and assembly. Those rights are given to us through the Charter, and they’re ex- tremely important but, as I mentioned, they’re not with- out limitations, not without limit,” Loignon-Giroux said. “They’re not absolute.” The Crown argued the Freedom Convoy became unlawful as soon as it inter- fered with people’s lawful use and enjoyment of public property and should be con- sidered as group mischief. She rejected the notion the case is about freedom of expression and assem- bly and said there’s no Charter application before the courts alleging King’s rights have been breached. Justice Charles Hackland interrupted both the Crown and defence several times during their closing argu- ments to ask questions. He asked Calvinho sev- eral times how particular elements of the defence’s evidence was relevant to King and the charges he was facing. Calvinho often responded that her evidence provides context, which she said the Crown’s case lacks. Ultimately, all levels of government failed Ottawa residents with their re- sponse to the protests, she argued, which is not the fault of King or others who protested lawfully. The justice also questioned whether the Crown had established enough evidence to link King to the mischief hap- pening at the demonstra- tion. “I’m seeing a man driv- ing around, shouting out the window,” Hackland said of social media videos that show King yelling “free- dom,” “hold the line” and other messages of encour- agement. “That’s being a party to mischief because what’s go- ing on in the background is mischief?” the judge asked. The Crown told the judge the videos shouldn’t be looked at in isolation but should be considered together to get a full picture of King’s involvement. At the end of the argu- ments, a small crowd of King’s supporters ap- plauded the defence from the benches in the court- room. King, who attended the hearing by video confer- ence, unmuted himself to say “Great job, Natasha.” — The Canadian Press NEWS I CANADA / WORLD SATURDAY, JULY 27, 2024 Closing arguments in ‘Freedom Convoy’ organizer King’s trial MICKEY DJURIC SPENCER COLBY / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES A ruling is expected in October in the criminal trial of ‘Freedom Convoy’ organizer Pat King. Canada calls for Israeli response to ICJ advice on occupied territory LAURA OSMAN ;