The Winter and Spring months of 2007 have been fraught with diplomatic activity in the Middle East, but vacant of much hope. CJPME proposes the following positions to enable Canada to be positively present in the Middle East.

This position paper provides an overview of the summary discussion in former US President Jimmy Carter’s book, Palestine: Peace not Apartheid. Five recommendations inspired by the book and adapted to Canadian context are listed and their potential benefits explained. 

This position paper highlights the causes and repercussions of the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war (also called the 2006 Lebanon war), before listing CJPME’s recommendations to Canada: offer more meaningful assistance to Lebanon, call both parties on their violations of international law and help remove unexploded Israeli munitions in Lebanon.

This position paper looks at the various actions that Canada could take to make a difference in the Israel-Palestine conflict. Such as providing humanitarian aid to Palestinians, calling on both parties to respect international law, urging Israel to stop collective punishment and establishing dialogue with Hamas.

This position paper insists on the damages caused by the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict and the importance for Canada to call for an immediate ceasefire and for a suspension of all military supplies in order to avoid more civilian deaths, and to contain a conflict that violates international law.

In the month since Israel launched military operations in Gaza on june 28, over 130 Palestinians have been killed, including over 30 children. This position paper urges Canada to condemn the recent acts of Israeli collective punishment (kidnapping Palestinian legislators, attacking electricity and water supplies, closing the bordures and attacking transportation infrastructure) and provide humanitarian aid to the Palestinians, victims of the violence in Gaza.

This position paper recalls the importance for Canada to provide humanitarian help to the Palestinian population, in spite of the Palestinian people’s election choices. Also, this paper denounces the fact that Israel and the PA (Palestinian Authority) are not treated the same way, proof of the existence of a double-standard. 

This position paper looks at Canadian policy on Israel’s colonies and explains why Canada should pass the bill C-326 to amend the CIFTA Implementation Act. Indeed, even if according to International Law, Israel’s colonies are illegal, Canada still have a free trade agreement with Israel and still applies preferential treatment to goods originating from the colonies. Canada should follow the European Union’s example and no longer applies such treatment. 

This position paper first summarizes the numerous and devastating impacts of Israel’s wall on the Palestinian population, before displaying the Canadian policy on the subject and its loopholes. This paper comes to the conclusion that Israel has the right to protect its citizens but that it should remain in conformity with international law.