On August 11, 2010, the Quebec Court of Appeals affirmed the September 2009 dismissal of Al Haq’s Bil’in-Canada lawfare case by a lower court. The lawsuit was one of a series initiated by Al Haq as part of its strategy to exploit Western courts for political goals. Al Haq – whose funders include Ford Foundation, Netherlands, Ireland, Norway, and Diakonia – was “deeply disappointed” by the decision.

The Bil’in Village Council and individuals from the village, with the assistance of the Al Haq and Israeli attorney, Michael Sfard (legal advisor to Yesh Din, Breaking the Silence, and Peace Now), filed suit on July 8, 2008 in Quebec against three Canadian corporations involved in construction projects in the town of Kiryat Sefer (Modi’in Ilit) close to the Israeli security barrier. The village council and Al Haq claimed that the corporations were “aiding, abetting, assisting and conspiring with Israel, the Occupying Power in the West Bank, in carrying out an illegal act” and acting in violation of the Geneva Conventions.

In affirming the dismissal, the Quebec Court of Appeals noted that the “Courts of the State of Israel, and particularly the High Court of Justice…is clearly the most appropriate forum for the issues raised by these proceedings… It requires a great deal of imagination to claim that the action has a serious connection with Quebec.”