Montreal, May 9, 2023 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is calling on the Canadian government to condemn Israel’s unprovoked acts of aggression in the occupied Gaza Strip. Overnight, Israel unilaterally broke its ceasefire with Islamic Jihad to conduct extrajudicial killings of three of its leaders, deliberately targeting units in residential buildings and killing them with their families as they slept. 13 Palestinians were killed in the attack, including 4 children and 4 women, and another 18 were injured. Further casualties have been reported from renewed airstrikes today. In addition to a formal condemnation, CJPME urges Canada to immediately suspend all military trade with Israel, among other concrete measures to hold Israeli officials accountable for this massacre.
“Once again, Israel has recklessly and illegally assassinated several Palestinians in Gaza, deliberately targeting them alongside their families,” said Michael Bueckert, Vice President of CJPME. “These atrocities must be condemned by Canada in the strongest terms, and concrete action must be taken to discourage further Israeli aggression,” added Bueckert. CJPME notes that Israel’s extrajudicial killings and acts of violence targeting civilians blatantly violate international law.
Israel’s reckless attack on Gaza violates a week-old ceasefire and is likely to escalate into further violence against civilians. This echoes a similar chain of events in August of 2022 when Israel launched an unprovoked assault which lasted 3 days and killed 49 Palestinians, including 17 children. Israel has named the current assault “Operation Shield and Arrow,” and is evacuating hundreds of Israeli citizens away from the Gaza boundary in preparation for escalation. Meanwhile, Israel has closed all crossings to Gaza, in an act of collective punishment against the entire civilian population which is likely to have severe humanitarian consequences.
CJPME urges Canada to respond to Israeli aggression and violations of international law by implementing the following concrete solutions:
- Canada should formally condemn Israel’s act of aggression to deter Israel from escalating violence against the people of Gaza;
- Canada should suspend all military trade with Israel, and make sure that made-in-Canada weapons are not being used against civilians in Gaza;
- Canada should demand an immediate and permanent end to Israel’s brutal and illegal 15-year blockade of Gaza;
- Canada should fully support the investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) into possible war crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories, and urge the ICC to include Israel’s recent actions in its investigation.
About CJPME – Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is a non-profit and secular organization bringing together men and women of all backgrounds who labour to see justice and peace take root again in the Middle East. Its mission is to empower decision-makers to view all sides with fairness and to promote the equitable and sustainable development of the region.
For more information, please contact: Michael Bueckert, VP CJPME: 613-315-7947 or [email protected].
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East www.cjpme.org
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