Canada’s Transportation Ministry recently approved a $36.16 million dollar contract for drone technology from Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest weapons company. The money will purchase a “civilian” version of Elbit’s lethal military drone, the same one which was used to kill civilians during Israel’s assault on Gaza in 2014. Through this purchase, Canada directly supports the profits of a weapons company responsible for ongoing human rights violations against Palestinians. Click-here to tell Minister Alghabra to cancel the contract! 

Any day now, the UN General Assembly may be voting on an important resolution on Jerusalem. The resolution rejects Israel’s illegal attempt to annex all of Jerusalem, and condemns Israel’s attempts to prevent Palestinians from living or visiting the city. Canada’s vote on this resolution is more important than ever, as the US pressures countries to recognize Jerusalem as exclusively Israel’s capital.  Click here to tell Trudeau that Canada should vote FOR this resolution and SUPPORT a Jerusalem shared by ALL! Continue reading

Palestinian refugees are at a humanitarian crossroads, and the Trudeau government needs to take a stand. While the government restarted support for Palestinian refugees in 2016, it continues to vote AGAINST Palestinian refugees at the UN, and is always “hush hush” about its aid! What’s worse, the UN aid agency for refugees (UNRWA) announced last week that it is no longer able to pay its employees. It’s time for the Trudeau government to stand up and be counted: To vote for the two UN resolutions supporting UNRWA, To commit proudly to its support for UNRWA, and To announce new emergency funding for UNRWA Click here to tell Prime-Minister Trudeau and your MP to stand up for Palestinian Refugees!

This time last year, Canada voted “Yes” on a UN resolution to support Palestinian self-determination. It is very important that we keep this “win,” and that Canada repeat this vote again this year. Join CJPME and the Coalition of Canadian Palestinian organizations in calling on Canada to vote in support of Palestinian self-determination, as well as more than a dozen other resolutions on Palestinian human rights. Continue reading

Children growing up in the Occupied Palestinian Territories live under a military occupation. Their day-to-day reality includes home and school demolitions, water rationing, the loss of family land, checkpoints and military gates, night raids, detentions and imprisonment. It’s time for Canada to stand up for their rights. As organizations dedicated to pursuing human rights in the Middle East, we are asking Canadians to support petition e-2667, sponsored by MP Paul Manly. The petition “calls upon the Government of Canada to ensure the human rights of Palestinian children are protected by instructing a Special Envoy to promote, monitor and report on the human rights situation of Palestinian children living in the occupied Palestinian Territory and Gaza.” HELP US BY SINGING UP TO RECEIVE A LINK TO THE E-PETITION. This campaign is sponsored by the United Network for Justice and Peace in Palestine and Israel (UNJPPI) and Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME). We will protect your privacy, and keep you informed of developments on this and related campaigns. See the About page for more information, or contact [email protected].  Continue reading

We are at another turning point in the history of the Palestine-Israel conflict.  Despite harsh international condemnation, Israel is still moving ahead to illegally annex huge new swaths of Palestinian territory.  A growing group of Canadian civil society organizations is asking MPs to sign a pledge which calls on Canada to stand against Israel's imminent annexations. Click-here to help us convince your MP to sign the pledge. 

Israeli politicians announced a plan that would illegally annex large portions of the West Bank to Israel. This plan, in accordance with Trump’s “Deal of the Century” could be implemented as early as July 10. In a despicable move, the new Israeli government has used the distraction of the worldwide Coronavirus pandemic to proceed with this unilateral and illegal plan. Tell Trudeau, your local MP, and other political leaders in Canada: STOP ISRAEL'S ILLEGAL ANNEXATION IN THE WEST BANK!

Canada and the rest of the world are struggling to respond to the Coronavirus, with imminent shortages of trained professionals. For years, CJPME has asked Canada to streamline processes to allow foreign-trained professionals to work in Canada. With the Coronavirus, the need to employ more doctors is even more urgent. Thousands have signed a petition asking the government to allow international medical graduates to contribute their skills to help in the crisis. Time to help both Canada, and these idle medical professionals! Tell Trudeau, your local MP and the provincial Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons to make it easier for foreign-trained health care professionals to help.

As the West struggles with the Coronavirus, other parts of the world fear a catastrophe! Under blockade since 2006, Gaza now has 12 confirmed cases of Coronavirus, but only 40 intensive care beds for a population of two million! (By comparison, Germany has 600 beds for every 2 million.) The health care system in Gaza was already desperate: two years ago, the UN already considered of Gaza’s health care system to be “at breaking point.” Even in good times, Israel’s blockade of Gaza is unconscionable. With the Coronavirus, it could be a death sentence!  Continue reading

Like most Canadians, we in CJPME are thankful for the Trudeau government’s aid package in response to the Coronavirus. This help is essential for Canadians who are losing jobs, income and livelihoods.  While many Canadians are still vulnerable, these past few days have seen the Coronavirus arrive in Gaza, and other vulnerable places.  Qatar has offered $150 million to Gaza, and the WHO has sent experts.  While we thank the Trudeau government, we also ask it to ADD aid for Gaza and other extremely vulnerable international communities, including refugees, to ADD aid for Canada’s migrant and undocumented workers, to ADD aid for those under immigration authority, to ADD aid for Canada's poor and marginalized. Click-here to ask Trudeau and your local MP to extend aid to Canada and the world's most vulnerable, especially Gaza and refugees!   Continue reading