Montreal, November 29, 2023 — On this International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, we wish that we could be optimistic about the prospects for justice, peace, and a negotiated end to the occupation of Palestine. Instead, we find ourselves trying to find shards of hope in the midst of an attempted genocide by Israel in the occupied Gaza Strip and a failure of Canadian leadership at home. Continue reading

Montreal, November 24, 2023 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is appalled by the actions of the Toronto police in violently arresting 11 anti-war activists who had allegedly affixed posters and red paint to the exterior of an Indigo bookstore. CJPME notes that Indigo is a long-standing target of the movement to boycott Israel, due to the CEO’s indirect financial support for the Israeli military. CJPME insists that protesting Indigo is a legitimate form of expression against Israel’s war on Gaza and urges Toronto police to drop the spurious charges against the activists. Continue reading

Montreal, November 21, 2023 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) welcomes the temporary Qatar-mediated truce announced between Israel and Hamas, and urges the Canadian government to leverage this momentum to push for a permanent ceasefire. The multi-day truce deal will provide temporary relief in the fighting, an increase in humanitarian aid, and secure the release of some Palestinian prisoners and Israeli hostages. The deal was approved by the Israeli cabinet and is expected to come into effect on Thursday. CJPME warns that this truce must not be allowed to end with the resumption of Israel’s indiscriminate bombardment and siege of Gaza, but must lead to a complete cessation of hostilities and an end to the occupation and siege – a full ceasefire. Continue reading

Montreal, November 9, 2023 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) welcomes Canada’s renewed support for a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution on Palestinian refugees, but warns that this lone vote is insufficient in the face of the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza. On November 9, Canada voted in the UNGA’s Fourth Committee for a draft resolution in support of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestine refugees, after abstaining since 2011. However, in the same meeting, Canada voted against four other resolutions, including two supporting Palestine refugees and one condemning Israeli settlements. CJPME warns that Canada’s less-than-half-hearted approach indicates that it is not serious about addressing the human catastrophe that Israel is creating in Gaza. Continue reading

Montreal, November 08, 2023 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) applauds today’s call from the Bloc Québécois for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, which was announced by Yves-Francois Blanchet in a press conference this morning. The Bloc joins the NDP, Green Party, many Liberal MPs, civil society, and public opinion in calling for an end to Israel’s military offensive, which has killed more than 10,000 Palestinians in just one month. CJPME thanks the Bloc for adopting this principled position, and urges Prime Minister Trudeau to finally withdraw his support for Israel’s genocidal war. Continue reading

Montreal, November 08, 2023 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) sent a formal letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this week urging him to join the international community in calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Canada has so far opposed calls for a ceasefire and appears to support Israel’s indefinite military escalation with the goal of “eliminating” Hamas. However, with more than 10,000 Palestinians killed in Israel’s offensive, and the siege on food, water, and electricity creating a catastrophic humanitarian toll, CJPME is urging Trudeau to acknowledge that its failed approach is only perpetuating further human suffering. Continue reading

Montreal, November 7, 2023 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) demands that the Government of Alberta immediately drop all charges against Calgary protest organizer Wesam Khaled. Khaled was arrested on Sunday, Nov. 5 and charged with “disturbing the peace.” The police informed Wesam that the charge against him was because of his use of the chant “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” which the police chose to treat as an “offensive antisemitic comment.” CJPME vigorously opposes this interpretation of the chant, which is a simple call for freedom. CJPME considers the charges to be spurious, and insists that they be dropped immediately. Continue reading

Montreal, November 2, 2023 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) warns that Trudeau’s more “sympathetic” tone toward the death of Palestinian civilians in Gaza will do nothing to avert mass atrocities and Israel’s genocidal violence. On November 1, Prime Minister Trudeau claims to have met with Palestinian families and made three separate comments expressing the idea that the price of justice cannot be the continued suffering of Palestinian civilians. However, CJPME strenuously emphasizes that Trudeau still refuses to join the international community in calling for an immediate stop to Israel’s bombardment, making his words ring hollow. And even if Canada calls for an end to the bombing, it will have done nothing materially – like embargoing arms to Israel – to prevent it from continuing. Continue reading

Montreal, October 31, 2023 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) emphatically condemns the current Israeli ground invasion of the besieged Gaza Strip. In a major and preventable escalation, Israeli ground forces have begun operating in Gaza since October 28 after indiscriminately bombing Gaza for over 21 days. Over 8500 Palestinians have already been killed, including over 3500 children, and over 1 million people have been displaced. CJPME argues that Canada’s refusal to de-escalate the war is a major failure of diplomacy, and reiterates its call for an immediate ceasefire. Continue reading

Montreal, October 30, 2023 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) warns that the Canadian government’s humanitarian approach to Gaza is failing the needs of the aid sector under Israeli bombardment and siege. CJPME emphasizes that every single announced recipient of Canada’s humanitarian aid has been pushing for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and several recipients have even been directly targeted in Israeli attacks. Despite this, Canada has failed to condemn Israel for its attacks on aid workers and continues to reject calls for a ceasefire. CJPME urges Canada to listen to the appeals from its partners on the ground and finally withdraw its support for Israel’s war on Gaza. Continue reading