Facts on the ground -- Bil'in's ground

Human Rights lawyer Emily Schaeffer is in Vancouver this week answering
our questions about the village of Bil'in, about the  lawsuit she is conducting
against two Canadian corporations, and what life can be like for her
firm's clients in The Occupied West Bank and Gaza. Dina El-Kassaby and Fatemah Meghji of Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights listen to Emily's descriptions.

Emily grew up in Boston and studied law in California. She is an
Israeli and has made her home and her career there representing
Palestinians who struggle under Israeli and Israeli Military law. The
case that brought her to Canada is a suit brought by the Palestinian
Village of Bil'in against two Quebec corporations. Green Park
International and Green Mount International are building a condominium
tower on occupied Palestinian land.

Under the UN's Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, that
construction constitutes a War Crime. Fortunately, Canada has
adopted the UN's statutes, making it possible to chase down the two
paper corporations in the Quebec Superior Court. That will be Emily's
task when she presents three motions beginning June 22.

If she is successful and the Quebec court puts aside Canada's
unambiguous political support for Israeli policy honoring instead its
commitments to the rule of law, Green Park and Green Mount will become
two very bad investments. Better news: the villagers of Bil'in will
have won a rare victory in the Palestinian struggle to hold back
Israel's illegal expansion.

See the Canadian Federal "Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act ( 2000, c. 24 )"

The CBC provides some color and background.

The Village of Bil'in is here. Note Google's claim that Bil'in is in "Israel".

Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights .

And you can enjoy a great lunch or dinner at Kayan Mediterranean Cuisine