Thomas Woodley

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CJPME: Canada must protest shooting of citizen by Israeli Army

NAzzal-PR-with-white.pngMontreal, Dec. 17, 2015 – Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) joins with other Canadians to protest the wanton shooting of Canadian Rehab Nazzal by an Israeli Army soldier in Bethlehem last Friday.  Nazzal, currently a Ph.D. student at the University of Western Ontario was shot while doing research in Bethlehem to investigate the impact of robotic and unconventional Israeli surveillance and crowd control techniques on Palestinian civilians.  Shot in the leg, Nazzal is expected to recover fully.

Entirely alone at the time – not near any clashes or stone throwers – Nazzal was shot in the leg while photographing.  She was apparently shot by an Israeli Army sniper who was seen crouched on the ground nearby near the gate of a hotel, and captured in a photo she took.  Live fire against unarmed civilians violates international law.  In the past, Israeli Army spokespeople have also asserted that use of a .22 calibre bullet – the type used against Nazzal – would violate official Israeli Army crowd dispersal guidelines. 

“While use of such weapons is illegal against any unarmed civilian, our government should take particular exception when such weapons are used by an Israeli government agent against a Canadian,” asserted Thomas Woodley, president of CJPME.  CJPME repeatedly calls attention to Israel’s use of lethal and disproportionate force against Palestinians.  CJPME calls on the Trudeau government to formally demand an apology from the Israeli government, and insist that Israel cease using lethal force against civilians, Palestinian or international. 

The president of Dar Al-Kalima university, where Nazzal had been lecturing since September has written a letter of protest.  CJPME and other Canadians are also calling on the president of the University of Western Ontario to also issue a statement of concern and protest.  CJPME views the shooting of Nazzal as part of a broader problem with the Israeli Army, which often acts recklessly and with disregard for human life when dealing with Palestinian and other civilian protesters.

CJPME acknowledges that our offices, located in Montreal, are on the unceded, unsurrendered Territory of the Kanienʼkehá꞉ka (Mohawk), whose presence here reaches back to time immemorial.  CJPME recognizes the Kanienʼkehá꞉ka as the customary keepers and defenders of the St. Lawrence River Watershed and its tributaries. We honour their long history of welcoming many Nations to this beautiful territory and uphold and uplift the voice and values of our Host Nation.  Further, CJPME respects and affirms the inherent and Treaty Rights of all Indigenous Peoples across this land. CJPME has and will continue to honour the commitments to self-determination and sovereignty we have made to Indigenous Nations and Peoples.  CJPME also acknowledges the historical oppression of lands, cultures and the original Peoples in what we now know as Canada and fervently believes that its work should contribute to the healing and decolonizing journey we all share together.

Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) 580 Sainte-Croix Ave, Suite 060, Saint-Laurent, QC,  H4L 3X5. 
©2007-2023 CJPME

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