MONTREAL, Dec. 20 - Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights and attorney Tiphaine Dickson will hold a press conference to announce a legal complaint filed at the behest of SPHR to the Canadian Foreign Affairs Department regarding its failure to provide customary consular services to Canadian activist Jaggi Singh and its implicit recognition of Israeli jurisdiction over the Occupied territories of the West bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.

The complaint addresses the dangerous precedent set by Canada's failure to object to the conditions imposed on Mr. Singh by the District Court of Tel Aviv which include a ban on his entering the occupied territories of the West bank and Gaza. This failure is in effect a recognition of an Israeli district court's authority in the occupied territories, which runs against international law and Canada's stance towards the status of the occupied territories. Canada's stated foreign policy recognizes the Israeli presence in the West Bank and Gaza as an occupation and denies any permanent Israeli jurisdiction over these territories.

The press conference will be held at 2 :00pm on Friday December 20, 2002 at 1118 St. Catherine West, in suite 300.

For further information: Samer Elatrash (514)-583-1633