Montreal, March 18, 2025 — As Israel renews deadly airstrikes on Gaza, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is once again calling on the Canadian government to cut all ties with the F-35 fighter jet program and implement a full two-way arms embargo on Israel. Two weeks ago, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu refused to move to Stage 2 of the ceasefire deal and instead cut off the entry of food, medicine and humanitarian aid into Gaza as part of its “Hell Plan.” Overnight, Israel escalated its attacks with a series of airstrikes that killed over 400 Palestinians, including children. CJPME urges Canada to respond to Israeli aggression by closing off the remaining loopholes that allow Canadian weapons – including F-35 components – to reach Israel via the United States.

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 need to stand together against US President Trump. He has been crystal clear since returning to the White House that there is no place for Palestinians in the future of Gaza, and he has been threatening to take over the territory and permanently expel the population. Meanwhile, he is hellbent on empowering Netanyahu and his cronies to sabotage the ceasefire deal and steal the entirety of the West Bank. We can’t afford to stand by and let Canada be bullied by Trump into meekly accepting his dangerous plan for ethnically cleansing Gaza, nor his assault on the Canadian economy. When someone shows you who they are, believe them. Trump is a bully who thinks stealing other people’s land is justified. Canada’s leaders must stand up to Trump’s annexationist and genocidal agenda in Palestine, just as they would oppose it closer to home.

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.