Montreal, January 6, 2025 – Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) welcomes the resignation of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as an important opportunity for the Liberal government to decisively shift course on Gaza. From 2015 to 2025, Trudeau’s approach to Israel and Palestine was marked by a continuation of the Harper Government’s staunchly pro-Israel policies, demonstrating extreme indifference to Palestinian human rights and open disdain towards international law. CJPME believes that the incoming Liberal leadership should finally break from the past and choose a new path that upholds Palestinian human rights, starting with sanctions on Israeli leaders. Continue reading

Montreal, December 28, 2024 - The CJPME Board thanks Thomas Woodley for his long-standing leadership, dedication, and tireless work over the past 20 years. We are grateful for the foundational work of Tom and Grace Batchoun to create and grow CJPME into the important national voice it is today, for peace and justice in the Middle East. Continue reading

Montreal, December 19, 2024 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is shocked and upset by Canada’s decision to abstain on Norway’s resolution at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), which requested the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to render an urgent advisory opinion on Israel’s starvation policies in Gaza. The resolution, which was adopted this afternoon by a vote of 137 to 12, requests an ICJ opinion on Israel’s obligations as an occupying power and UN member to facilitate humanitarian access in Gaza. CJPME is incensed that Canada has failed to hold Israel accountable for its genocidal policies of starvation. Continue reading

Montreal, December 19, 2024 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is urging the Canadian government to demand that Turkey and Israel stop taking illegal advantage of the power vacuum created by the fall of the Al-Assad regime in Syria. CJPME calls on Canada to demand that Israel withdraw from its so-called “buffer zone” around the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, and to demand that Turkey not use the power vacuum to wreak violence against Kurds in Syria. CJPME argues that an arms embargo against both countries would both send an important message in support of international law and Syrian sovereignty and have a substantive impact on both aggressors. Continue reading

Montreal, December 17, 2024 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is urging the Canadian government to vote in support of Norway’s resolution at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), which would request the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to render an urgent advisory opinion on Israel’s starvation policies in Gaza. The resolution, which is scheduled for a vote on Thursday, specifically requests an ICJ opinion on Israel’s obligations as an occupying power and UN member to facilitate humanitarian access in Gaza. CJPME is encouraged that Canada today voted “Yes” on a preliminary motion at the UN’s Fifth Committee to approve the ICJ’s budget, and hopes this logically translates into support for the main resolution at the plenary. Continue reading

Montreal, December 11, 2024 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is raising significant concerns about the contradictory recommendations in a pair of reports from Parliament’s Justice and Human Rights Committee (JUST) that seemingly acknowledge anti-Palestinian racism (APR) while simultaneously suppressing pro-Palestine speech and activism. On December 10, 2024, the JUST Committee issued two reports, on tackling Islamophobia and Antisemitism, with 34 recommendations between them for the Canadian government. CJPME notes that while the former report recommends acknowledging discrimination against Palestinians, the latter defines Palestinian perspectives as antisemitic and urges universities to crack down on pro-Palestine activism, including democratic expression through principled boycotts of Israel. Continue reading

Montreal, December 5, 2024 — The Anti-Racism program of the CJPME Foundation (ARPCF) and Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) today released a joint report on anti-Palestinian racism (APR) in Canada, documenting 988 incidents of APR in 2023—a staggering near-doubling from 506 incidents reported in 2022. In an alarming find, the study revealed that APR surged proportionately eightfold following October 7, 2023, coinciding with the launch of Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Continue reading

Montreal, December 5, 2024 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) commends the landmark report issued today by Amnesty International which finds that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. In its 300-page report, Amnesty arrived at the grave conclusion that Israel has committed multiple acts of genocide with the specific intent of destroying the Palestinian people in Gaza. CJPME urges the Canadian Government to publicly acknowledge that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza, and to do everything possible to bring it to an end, including a two-way arms embargo and sanctions on Israeli leaders. Continue reading

Montreal, November 29, 2024 — On this International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) considers the Trudeau government to have been completely negligent in terms of supporting the lives, livelihoods, and rights of the Palestinian people. CJPME has long urged the Canadian government to take immediate action to stop Israel’s genocide in Gaza and annexation in the West Bank, which are aimed at destroying the Palestinian people. CJPME calls on Prime Minister Trudeau to give his full support to international efforts to hold Israel accountable, including through the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, and to impose a suite of sanctions aimed at bringing an immediate end to Israel’s criminal acts. Continue reading

Montreal, November 21, 2024 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) welcomes the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) today against Israeli leaders for crimes against humanity in Gaza, and calls on the Canadian government to enforce them. The warrants were issued against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for crimes against humanity and war crimes, including the war crime of starvation as a weapon of warfare. Given the gravity of the alleged crimes and considering Canada’s legal obligations as a signatory to the Rome Statute, CJPME urges Canada to make a public statement in support of the decision of the ICC and cooperate in the arrest and prosecution of Netanyahu and Gallant. Continue reading