Montreal, October 28, 2023 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) condemns Canada’s abstention on a UN General Assembly emergency resolution late Friday, which called for an “immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce” in Gaza. Many considered the resolution to be the last opportunity to prevent the bloody and devastating ground assault that was subsequently launched on Gaza by Israel. The resolution was sponsored by Jordan and passed with 120 votes in favour, 14 against and 45 abstentions. In addition to calling for a truce, it also called for all parties to respect international humanitarian law and allow the “continuous, sufficient and unhindered” provision of humanitarian aid into Gaza. The resolution also called for the “immediate and unconditional release” of all civilians held captive. As the UN debate was underway, Israel imposed a total communications blackout on Gaza and launched a ground assault, escalating its bloody and devastating attacks on Gaza in complete darkness. Continue reading

Montreal, October 25, 2023 — Canada’s support for “humanitarian pauses” in Gaza falls far short of averting further human catastrophe, asserts Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME). An immediate ceasefire, warns CJPME, is essential, as Israel’s bombardment and siege have brought the humanitarian situation in Gaza to the brink of total collapse, with hospitals and UN agencies warning that they will effectively cease to function if they do not receive fuel and water immediately. Yesterday, the Canadian government followed the United States in calling for “humanitarian pauses on hostilities to be considered,” while continuing to reject calls for a ceasefire. CJPME urges Canada to call for a total and unconditional ceasefire in Israel-Palestine, the lifting of Israel’s siege, and a massive influx of aid to prevent unfathomable human loss. Continue reading

Montreal, October 20, 2023 [Updated: October 24, 2023] — Following a decision by the CJPME Board of Directors, Ms. Sasa is suspended from the CJPME Board. As confirmed by the CJPME Board, Ms. Sasa has never been authorized to speak on behalf of the organization. In addition, some views that Ms. Sasa has expressed publicly are not aligned with the policies and positions of the organization. Continue reading

Montreal, October 23, 2023 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) has joined dozens of labour, faith and civil society organizations in a joint statement pushing Canada to call for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the blockade of Gaza, including the restoration of aid, electricity, fuel, food, and water. These demands from labour and civil society follow on the heels of urgent calls from Canada-based Palestinian and Jewish groups supporting Palestinian human rights and calling for a just and lasting peace in Palestine. Continue reading

Montreal, October 21, 2023 [Signatories updated November 7] - Below is a joint statement from a broad and representative cross-section of Canadian civil society to demand an immediate ceasefire and urgent humanitarian aid to Gaza. Signatories include labour, faith, community (Arab, Palestinian, Jewish), civil society, and peace and justice organizations. Continue reading

Montreal, October 20, 2023 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is urging Canada to speak out against an imminent Israeli ground invasion of Gaza, warning that this threatens the lives of Palestinian civilians and hostages alike. As Israel’s plans for an invasion increasingly seem inevitable, United Nations human rights experts have expressed alarm about the possibility of “genocide” in Gaza, while Israeli officials have announced that the lives of civilians and hostages would only be “secondary” considerations. CJPME urges Canada to publicly oppose Israel’s plans for further escalation and demand an immediate ceasefire. Continue reading

Montreal, October 18, 2023 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) condemns yesterday’s horrific attack on a Gaza hospital in the strongest possible terms, and reiterates its call on Canada to demand an immediate ceasefire and an end to Israel’s bombardment, occupation, and siege. Al Jazeera reports that an Israeli airstrike last night hit the Anglican-run Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, which was sheltering hundreds of people seeking refuge, killing an estimated 500 people. CJPME further urges Canada to demand an international, independent investigation capable of holding the perpetrators accountable. Continue reading

Montreal, October 16, 2023 — Following the discovery last week of a ‘Palestinians as cockroaches’  Twitter post published by pro-Israel figure Arsen Ostrovsky, a featured speaker at this week’s ‘Antisemitism: Face It, Fight It’ conference in Ottawa, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is demanding that Canadian members of Parliament boycott the conference. According to the conference schedule, Pierre Poilièvre (Conservative leader), Jagmeet Singh (NDP leader), Yves-François Blanchet (BQ leader), and Arif Virani (Liberal Justice Minister) are all listed as speakers at the conference, organized by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA). CJPME also demands that CIJA immediately disinvite Ostrovsky from the conference and publicly condemn him for his post. Continue reading

Montreal, October 15, 2023 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) expresses deep concern over the inconsistent media coverage of the Gaza-Israel war since October 7, 2023. CJPME has been closely following the reporting in Canada media over the past week, and is aware of many instances in which news coverage has failed to be consistent in upholding professional journalistic standards.  CJPME provides the following critiques of the media response of the past week, and recommendations for future coverage: Continue reading

Montreal, October 13, 2023 [Updated October 14, 2023] — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is expressing extreme concern over the Canadian government’s failure to secure evacuation for citizens stuck in Gaza and the West Bank. While Canada has already completed four evacuation flights for its citizens in Israel, it has yet to secure plans for its own citizens in the occupied Palestinian territories, despite the catastrophic humanitarian situation. Israel told Canadian officials earlier today that they had decided against proposals to allow foreign nationals to flee Gaza via Egypt. This leaves at least 150 Canadian citizens trapped by Israel alongside more than 2 million Palestinians, without any relief or safety from Israeli siege and bombardment. Continue reading