ADDS MORE QUOTES FROM STEPHEN BROWN
By Merve Aydogan
HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) welcomed Canada's decision Wednesday to recognize Palestine as a state in September, calling it a "historic" move and "a small step in the right direction."
"This is a historic day for Canada. We're glad to see our country join the global majority towards the announcement of an upcoming formal recognition of Palestinian sovereignty in September," NCCM head Stephen Brown said at a news conference in Ottawa.
"We will never stop recognizing the right of Palestinian people to exist and their right to a sovereign state where they can govern themselves, set their own future and their inalienable right to self-determination," he said.
Stressing that "there can be no delays towards recognizing this inalienable right," Brown said that such an inalienable right "will never be subject to condition."
"This decision is more than symbolic," he added.
He further emphasized the importance of sovereignty amid Israel's ongoing offensive in the Gaza Strip, “the recognition that sovereignty is essential to the survival and dignity of all people, which of course includes the Palestinian people in the face of the government of Israel's ongoing atrocities.”
“This act of recognition affirms the belief and the relief of long-term peace cannot come without Palestinian self-determination," he added.
Expressing appreciation for Prime Minister Mark Carney and other government officials, Brown also warned that "we cannot lose sight of the present reality. Israel is still starving and shooting Palestinians to death, and most notably children. Canadians across this country are bewildered by Israel's unrelenting atrocities," he said.
"This is not an abstract foreign policy issue. It is a domestic emergency for communities across Canada," he added, saying Canada's decision "signals a step in the right direction…This is not the end point."
"Canada has long benefited from the global order it helped build after the Second World War, one that is now under sharp strain," he said.
"Just a few months ago, the Trump administration threatened the sovereignty of Greenland, Palestine and even Canada...we cannot allow the international system we depend on to collapse as we watch people starve to death," he said.
"Recognition must lead to immediate relief and long-term justice in the region."
Asked about claims that recognition rewards the Palestinian group Hamas, Brown said: "Recognizing Palestinian statehood has nothing to do about rewarding Hamas. This is about acknowledging that Palestinians have a legitimate right to have agency over their own lives."
Brown also pointed to Canada's humanitarian responsibility, saying that "there’s thousands of Palestinian Canadians that live across the country...Muslim Canadians and Canadians of all stripes have raised hundreds of millions of dollars...the (aid) trucks are waiting if they need help. If they need assistance, we are there to help."
"All we need is a little bit of help from the Canadian government, from the international community saying, open the borders, let the food in," he said.