Alberta Is a Proving Ground for Israeli Weapons

May 22, 2024

Israeli weapons manufacturers will soon be using Alberta as a testing ground to market their latest weapons

By facilitating this ‘sandbox’ in Alberta, Canada’s DND is directly involving itself in the sale of weapons that have been – and will be – used to kill civilians, writes Todd Pruner

Since Oct. 7, 2023, the news from Gaza, and from the Occupied West Bank, has grown more horrific by the day. Canadians are clearly bitterly divided over the conflict – its causes and how best to bring to an end the slaughter of civilians that has resulted. The impact of this division has recently been felt on the campuses of the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary. Former journalist Todd Pruner describes how, while this goes on, Canada’s Department of National Defence is planning to host a testing session next week for military suppliers, including a couple that sell weapons made by Israeli companies and likely used “to engage in ground targets” in Gaza, right here in Alberta. Mr. Pruner, a graduate of the University of Alberta who now works in the disability sector, believes that Alberta should not be used as a proving ground for weapons that are used to kill children. DJC

Alberta should not be a proving ground for weapons used to kill children

By Todd Pruner

Israeli weapons manufacturers will soon be using Alberta as a testing ground to market their latest weapons of war.

From May 27 to June 21, Canada’s Department of National Defence will host a testing session for military suppliers in Suffield, Alberta. They’ve given this testing session the innocuous title of “Counter Uncrewed Aerial Systems Sandbox 2024.” 

But as described on the event’s web page, it is anything but anodyne. It’s a platform to test drive equipment to “detect,” “defeat,” or “detect and defeat” drones or other deadly unmanned weapons.

Come play in our sandbox with our weapons, seems to be the message. See which ones best suit your needs. Try a couple samples.

I have yet to hear a single politician at any level speak out about this, nor have I seen this reported in any Alberta-based media. The only place I’ve seen this “sandbox” mentioned was in The Maple.

Two of the 15 companies attending are selling Israel weapons: Sentrycs and Twenty20 Insight Inc., which plans to showcase its latest and greatest “defeat-only” Smash Hopper system. The event’s webpage describes it as a tool that “provides operators the remote capability to engage ground targets and small uncrewed aircraft systems.” 

Considering what is currently happening in Gaza, “ground targets” can certainly be understood to mean Palestinian men, women and children. 

This isn’t simply conjecture. It is thoroughly documented that Israel sells weapons that it has “battle tested.” By facilitating this “sandbox”, Canada’s DND is directly involving itself in the sale of weapons that likely have been – and will be – used to kill Palestinian civilians, including children.

It should go without saying that Alberta should never facilitate the sale of weapons for an ongoing genocide. Abstaining from this should be the least we can do in Canada, so as not to contribute to violence against Palestinian civilians. 

This month, Israel began its assault on Rafah, at the southern tip of Gaza, where they have been telling Palestinians it would be safe. The United Nations stated Monday that more than 800,000 people have been displaced from Rafah in the past two weeks, forcing Palestinians to head back north.

To sum up the past seven months of Israeli military activity in Gaza is outside the scope of this piece, but it should be kept in mind that the International Court of Justice did find a plausible case of genocide in Gaza by Israel on Jan. 26. Additionally, the International Criminal Court is seeking arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Calls for divesting from Israel, as well as a two-way arms embargo, are increasing in Canada’s streets during weekly protests and on university campuses nationwide. Alberta and the rest of Canada should be doing everything we can to become less involved in the ongoing genocide in Palestine, not to continue it.

According to Time, more than 30,000 Palestinian people have been killed in Gaza as of March 15, and more than 70,000 have been injured. Since then, this death toll has risen more slowly, but not because the violence has stopped. Rather, medical (and basically all other) infrastructure has been destroyed by the Israeli armed forces. Therefore, the number of killed and injured in Gaza is very likely much higher than these numbers. 

Arguing that both the Netanyahu Regime and Hamas both have reasons to low-ball the number of casualties, former third-party U.S. presidential candidate Ralph Nader estimated that the true number of Palestinians who have perished as of early March was closer to 200,000.

Additionally, the proportion of children living in Gaza is high, with the median age being just 18, and 40 per cent of the population being 14 years old or younger. As of March 14, 12,300 children had been killed by Israel, according to the UN.

Any Canadian contribution to this should stop immediately. Alberta should not be a proving ground for weapons that will be used to kill children.

[Top photo: An image of a military drone illustrates the Department of National Defence website promoting next week’s “Counter Uncrewed Aerial Systems Sandbox 2024” in Alberta. (Photo: DND).]