Montreal, October 11, 2019 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) calls Canada to oppose the Turkish offensive in northern Syria, fearing that it will endanger civilians and reignite bloodshed.  Turkey launched the offensive following US President Trump’s decision to withdraw US soldiers from a border region of Syria.  A human rights organization, CJPME does not take political positions, but opposes actions that put civilians at risk, violate human rights, or enflame tensions. 

The proposal for the establishment of a nuclear weapons-free zone (NWFZ) in the Middle East was formally introduced by Iran and Egypt in a resolution submitted to the UN General Assembly in 1974. This UN resolution initiated the global push for nuclear disarmament in the region. In 1995, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference adopted a resolution which called upon states to take the necessary measures to ensure the establishment of a NWFZ in the Middle East. Despite officially supporting the creation of a NWFZ in the Middle East, Canada has consistently voted against resolutions that call upon Israel to sign the NPT and dismantle its nuclear weapons program. It has also repeatedly blocked resolutions calling for a regional conference on the establishment of a NWFZ. Canada should play a more active role in advancing negotiations on a NWFZ in the Middle East. Instead of blocking attempts to convene a conference on this matter, Canada should lead the push for disarmament in the region. Canada should leverage its relationship with Israel in order to encourage its participation in disarmament negotiations. 

This chart compares the various violent incidents cited by Scott Reid's Motion 153 and shows how they fail to relate to each other, contrary to what the motion suggests.              

CJPME Factsheet, published May, 2019. This factsheet discusses how the Israeli government intends to formally annex the illegal settlements within the West Bank and the implications of such an action.