Montreal, September 4, 2024 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) condemns Elle Canada’s decision to remove Ontario MPP Sarah Jama from its list of trailblazing women in an article titled “These Incredible Canadians Have Broken The Glass Ceiling.” The decision followed attacks from pro-Israel commentators over her support for Palestinians. Elle Canada removed the reference to Jama in the article and added an editor’s note claiming the decision was made to “protect everyone’s safety.” However, Sarah Jama herself clarified on X, writing, “I haven’t received any threats so it wasn’t for my safety.”

Israel’s devastating war on Gaza and the routine violence faced by Palestinians under military occupation have produced a catastrophic human toll, leading the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to order Israel to change its actions to prevent the “real and imminent risk” of genocide. The UN Human Rights Council and independent UN experts have called on all states to cease the sale and transfer of weapons to Israel immediately, or else risk complicity in war crimes or acts of genocide. Although Parliament voted in March 2024 in support of ending arms transfers to Israel, Canada’s actions to date have been limited and insufficient, allowing weapons to continue to flow to Israel. Canada cannot continue to export arms to Israel and maintain a close working relationship with the Israeli military so long as it is involved in egregious violations of international humanitarian law. Canada must use its diplomatic and economic leverage vis-a-vis Israel’s defense and security establishment to bring an immediate end to the violence.  

We were shocked to learn that Canada is about to allow 50,000 “high explosive” mortars to be transferred to the Israeli military, even as it commits a genocide in Gaza. As part of the $20B arms package just approved by the United States Congress, the US will be purchasing $83.7M (CAD) worth of mortars, made in Quebec. Canada cannot allow this shipment of 50,000 explosives to go ahead. Just earlier this year, grassroots pressure led Parliament to vote to stop sending weapons to Israel. This shipment blatantly violates the will of Parliament and there is no question that these weapons will be used against civilians in Gaza. Canada has an obligation to intervene.

Boycott campaign: Keter plastic Factsheet Series No. 249, created: August 2024, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East   View factsheet in PDF format CJPME Factsheet 249, published August 2024: This factsheet outlines the boycott campaign against the Israeli company Keter Plastic due to its production in Israel and its historical operations in the occupied West Bank. It details Keter's exploitation of Palestinian labour, complicity in settlement expansion, and continued violations of Palestinian human rights. Despite closing its factory in the occupied West Bank in 2014, Keter remains culpable for its prior breaches of international law and its extensive history of exploiting Palestinian land and resources for economic gain.