To: Steve Fenton, owner and President, Battlefield International Inc.

Elbit Systems and Battlefield International Inc.

Cayuga and Hamilton residents will not sit idly by while businesses in our communities sell technological components used by the Israeli genocide machine.

Elbit Systems is Israel’s biggest arms manufacturer. No company is profiting more from this genocide, and no company is more necessary for Israel’s ongoing military violence – not only in Palestine, but in Lebanon, Syria, and Iran.

In direct contravention of domestic and international law, Canadian suppliers continue to send parts to Elbit, and the Canadian government continues to purchase arms from Elbit. Elbit subsidiaries are lobbying our politicians, and Elbit representatives are visiting our cities to hawk their weapons.

We have evidence that Battlefield International Inc. is selling technological components to Elbit Systems. These sales are in contravention of domestic trade law and of international humanitarian law. They could be enabling the slaughter and starvation of innocent men, women and children in Gaza.

We are calling on Battlefield International Inc. to immediately cease all sales and shipments to Elbit Systems or to any other Israeli arms manufacturer. We would also like a written commitment from Battlefield International confirming that they have ceased all such shipments.

We are requesting a meeting with representatives at Battlefield International at your earliest convenience, to discuss ending your business supplying technological components to Elbit Systems.

Background: Canadian Complicity in an Ongoing Genocide

Since October 2023, Cayuga and Hamilton residents have watched, horrified, as Israel launched a devastating military assault on the largely defenseless civilian population in Gaza.

The United Nations reports that Israel has killed over 73,000 people in the Gaza Strip and wounded another 173,000. Over 38,000 of those killed were women or girls. Israel has killed 310 UN workers, over 1,700 healthcare workers, and over 250 journalists – all shocking violations of international law.

In 2023 South Africa presented a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. In 2024 the ICJ ruled that there was plausible risk of genocide and ordered Israel to cease genocidal acts against the Palestinians. Since then, Israel has killed tens of thousands more, while subjecting the population of Gaza and the West Bank to starvation, unlawful detention, torture, ethnic cleansing, and systematic sexual violence.

Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem have all called Israel’s assault on Palestine a genocide. This is echoed by the International Association of Genocide Scholars, Independent Jewish Voices, and over 400 members of the Genocide and Holocaust Studies Crisis Network.

The January 2024 ICJ ruling put Canada on notice that, as a party to the Genocide Convention, it must do everything within its power to prevent genocide in Gaza. Canada’s obligations under international law have also been articulated by the UN Human Rights Council, which in April passed a resolution calling on all states to “cease the sale, transfer, and diversion of arms, munitions and other military equipment to Israel.”

Canada’s own laws, based on the Arms Trade Treaty, require that it stop permitting the export of military technology when there is a substantial risk those exports could be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian or human rights law, or to commit serious acts of violence against women and children.

In March 2024, the Trudeau government passed a watered-down motion to “cease the further authorization and transfer of arms exports to Israel to ensure compliance with Canada’s arms export regime…”  This motion led to the suspension of 30 new arms sales permits to Israel but did not cancel over 100 pre-existing permits. In addition, the motion did not account for over $1 billion per year in Canadian arms sales to the United States, much of which ends up in Israel.

In violation of international law and domestic trade law, Canadian corporations continue to arm Israel’s genocide. This is an unconscionable state of affairs, and until the Canadian government actually enforces humanitarian law, the Canadian people have a responsibility to act. We have a duty to enforce the arms embargo on Israel that law, conscience, and humanity demand.

Signed:

Rabbi David Mivasair

Kevin MacKay, M.A., Professor

Dr. Erika Campbell

Angelune Des Lauriers

Stephen Vincelette-Smith

Ken Stone

Margot Olivieri

Anita Shin

Natasha Kurd

Dr. Atif Kubursi

Radia Dinath

Arielle Sugarman

Bebe De Freitas

Wael Ghuneim

Nageeb Twal

Natasha Bilau

Sangita Kamath

Penny Dobson

Mina Hadad

Ali Jones, MSW

Jelena Vermillion

Eric MacPherson

Janicla Glasova

Arms Embargo Now

World Beyond War

Palestinian Association of Hamilton

Independent Jewish Voices – Hamilton

OPSEU/SEFPO Region 2 Provincial Human Rights Committee

Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War

Hamilton and District Labour Council

Canadian Academics for a Just Foreign Policy