CJPME Factsheet 113, published February, 2011: This factsheet provides an overview of the Muslim Brotherhood, a transnational organization whose organizing principle is “Islam is the solution.” Founded by Hassan al-Banna in 1928 in Egypt, where the British were continuing their military presence despite having declared Egypt independent, the MB is the world’s largest and most influential Islamist organization. This factsheet looks at the Brotherhood during Egypt’s constitutional monarchy (1928-1949), the Nasser years (1950-1970), the Sadat’s presidency (1970-1981), and the Mubarak era (1981-2011). Continue reading

CJPME Factsheet 114, published February, 2011: This factsheet provides an overview of the protests taking place in Bahrain. This factsheet looks at the root causes behind Bahrain’s protests, such as the monopoly on political power by the al-Khalifa royal family, the sharp deterioration of human rights in latter half of 2010, and the political marginalization, discrimination and poverty to which the Shia majority is subjected. This factsheet also looks at the evolution of Bahrain’s protests, the government’s reaction towards them, and their international impact, mainly with regard to military and energy implications. Continue reading

CJPME Factsheet 112, published February 2011: This factsheet provides an overview of the current protests in Egypt, a country of extreme importance demographically, geographically, and politically. The significant of these protests is that they are some of the biggest Egypt has experienced in decades. This factsheet looks at the people leading the protests, the socioeconomic and sociopolitical grievances that have triggered calls for Mubarak’s resignation, as well as what Mubarak’s departure could mean to the region, and peace in particular. Continue reading

CJPME Factsheet 108, published February, 2011: This factsheet provides an overview of The Palestine Papers, a set of over 1600 confidential documents about Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations obtained by Al Jazeera news network and shared exclusively with the UK newspaper The Guardian. Al Jazeera and The Guardian began publishing the Papers in January 2011. These documents are controversial because they reveal that the Palestinian Authority (PA) offered Israeli peace negotiators huge concessions at odds with the PA’s public stances and many Palestinians’ expectations. Continue reading

CJPME Factsheet 111, published February, 2011: This factsheet analyses the recent emergence of large protests in Jordan, an unusual and extraordinary event in modern Jordanian history. Although different in tone and urgency than parallel protests taking place in Egypt and Yemen, these protests appear to emerge from common grievances. Protests in Jordan stem from deteriorating economic and social conditions, weak democracy, limited human and labour rights, and restricted press freedom. This factsheet also looks at the Jordanian government’s response to the protests. Continue reading

CJPME Factsheet 121, published February, 2011: This factsheet looks at how accessible public services are Israel. Although by law all Israelis are considered equal, in reality, access to public services depend on the citizen’s ethnic or religious affiliation and the region where they live. Arab citizens of Israel, which account for 20% of the population, are negatively impacted by inequalities in the public sector, public fund transfers, and access to public services. The policies and laws behind the unequal treatment of Israeli citizens amount to nothing less than state-sponsored discrimination against minorities. Continue reading

CJPME Factsheet 116, published January, 2011: RE/MAX is a private international real estate agency with asset management in 76 countries that is facilitating the distribution of illegally-seized property in occupied Palestinian territory and assisting the Israeli government in its strategy of colonial expansion. By establishing offices in illegal Israeli colonies and selling homes therein, RE/MAX is encouraging and legitimizing the expansion of colonial infrastructure on occupied Palestinian territories. Continue reading

CJPME Factsheet 107, published December, 2010: In June 2010, following intense international pressure, Israel announced measures to ease its illegal blockade of the Gaza Strip. Unfortunately, the resulting “loosening” has changed very little for Gazans. Today, according to international monitors, Israel still restricts the entry of many goods into Gaza, such as construction and raw materials, and industrial machinery. Israel also continues to enforce restrictions on the movement of people and exports from the strip. These restrictions perpetuate the ongoing humanitarian crisis. Continue reading

CJPME Factsheet 102, published November, 2010: Apologists for Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and its blockade of Gaza often claim that human rights organizations — including Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) — unfairly single out Israel for criticism. This is false. This factsheet provides an overview of CJPME’s core principles and beliefs, as well as CJPME’ positions vis-à-vis all the actors in the Middle East. Lastly, this factsheet addresses CJPME and other social justice organizations’ legitimate criticism of Israel. Continue reading

CJPME Factsheet 106, published November, 2010: Canada has increasingly isolated itself on the short side of innumerable one-sided votes in international forums. Canada’s track record shows that Ottawa is far from belonging to a “moral majority” when it comes to crucial international votes. This factsheet provides a detailed summary of Canada’s votes in international forums as well as Ottawa’s pro-Israel Middle East policy. Continue reading