Montreal, June 25, 2026  — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is celebrating the launch of a groundbreaking exhibition on the Palestinian Nakba which is opening this weekend at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg. The Museum partnered with the Palestinian Canadian community in the development of this exhibition, titled “Palestine Uprooted: Nakba Past and Present,” which tells the experiences of Palestinian dispossession that started during the creation of Israel in 1948 and continues to this day. CJPME thanks the Museum for its commitment to this important work, and encourages Canadians to visit and engage with the exhibition once it opens to the public.

“This Nakba exhibition is a significant step forward towards educating Canadians about the ongoing processes of forced dispossession that Palestinians have faced for decades,” said Yara Shoufani, President of CJPME. “As Israel continues to commit genocide in Gaza and ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, it is more important than ever for the Canadian public to learn about this defining experience faced by Palestinian Canadians, and to realize that the Nakba didn’t end in 1948.”

The Nakba, “catastrophe” in Arabic, refers to Israel's ethnic cleansing of Palestine, including the historical and ongoing expulsion and subsequent displacement of Palestinians, the destruction of Palestinian towns and villages, and other attempts to eradicate the Palestinian people from their ancestral homeland in the territory that became the State of Israel. CJPME has previously supported the advocacy of Palestinian Canadians who were pushing for their experiences to be included in Canada’s official human rights museum, and is thrilled that this important partnership is finally coming to fruition.

Unfortunately, CJPME is aware of significant pressure against the Museum coming from pro-Israel organizations, which have sought to have the exhibition cancelled in order to prevent the inclusion of Palestinian voices. CJPME notes with frustration that pro-Israel groups have even falsely accused the Museum of being complicit in foreign interference because of a meeting with a representative of the State of Palestine. Meanwhile, an Israeli legal NGO which is known for cooperating with the Mossad is threatening to seek an injunction to shut down the exhibition, demonstrating a real and alarming instance of attempted Israeli foreign influence and transnational repression. CJPME thanks the Museum for standing by its exhibition and affirming that “Palestinian Canadian stories belong in this Museum,” and appreciates that Minister Miller has declined to intervene in the independence of the Museum’s programming. 

“Nakba denial is genocide denial, and a form of anti-Palestinian racism,” said Michael Bueckert, Vice President of CJPME. “Those who are trying to shut it down want to prevent Canadians from hearing Palestinian stories that might reflect negatively on the actions of the Israeli state. However, it is the role of the Museum to tell the stories of those who experienced human rights violations, not to protect the reputation of the perpetrators.”