The Right Honourable Stephen Harper
Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A2

The Honourable Peter Gordon MacKay
Minister of Foreign Affairs
125 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, ON, K1A 0G2

Re: Canadian Government Intervention To End The Fighting in Lebanon and Gaza.

Dear Sirs:

As the violence escalates in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE is calling on all sides to declare an immediate ceasefire, end the carnage and begin constructive negotiations to achieve long-term solutions in the region.

Indiscriminate bombings and hostage takings are against all moral and humanitarian laws and principles. Guided, as it is, by the social teaching of the Catholic Church and in line with International Humanitarian Law, DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE is asking you and your government to act quickly to help end the ongoing violence.

International Humanitarian Law decrees that states and authorities must protect civilians caught up in conflict, allow free access by humanitarian agencies to provide assistance to those affected, and ensure that attacks are not aimed at civilian targets. Any state or authority which ignores these rules is in breach of international conventions written to help keep our world civilized.

DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE believes that a just peace is possible in the Middle East, and urges Canada to uphold international law and help the people of Israel, of Palestine and of Lebanon step back from the brink of full-scale war. DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE is calling on the Canadian government to do everything within its means to encourage a ceasefire and the commencement of negotiations.

Yours sincerely,

Margie Noonan
President

DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE is the official international development organization of the Catholic Church in Canada and the Canadian member of Caritas Internationalis, a network of 162 autonomous, Catholic, emergency relief, development and social service organizations working in 200 countries and territories. Last year, DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE provided $18.4 million to support 309 long-term development projects and 72 emergency relief projects in the Global South.