Montreal, September 30, 2024 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) continues to call on Canada to pressure Israel for a permanent ceasefire, both in Lebanon and Palestine.  While Israel’s carnage continues in Palestine, and its bombing of much of Lebanon has caused hundreds of thousands of Lebanese to flee their homes, the massive airstrikes in residential parts of Beirut are particularly horrific and inhumane.  Canada announced a paltry $10 million in aid to Lebanon on Saturday, but CJPME considers this mere tokenism as long as Canada refuses to use its military and economic relationship with Israel to end that country’s violence.  Recent figures from the Lebanese government indicate that Israel has killed more than 1,000, and injured 6,000 more in the past two weeks. It added that a fifth of Lebanon’s population – one million people – have fled their homes.  Continue reading

Montreal, September 25, 2024 — Three days into a murderous Israeli offensive against Lebanon, and following the killing of two Canadians in Lebanon by an Israeli airstrike, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is scandalized that Canada has still failed to call for a ceasefire. CJPME points out that under the UN Charter there is no provision that allows for a country to bombard its neighbour. And while both Israel and Hezbollah have launched attacks against one another, the BBC reported in July that between 8 October 2023 and 5 July 2024, Israel had carried out over 6000 attacks in Lebanon, about five times the number of Hezbollah attacks on Israel. CJPME considers that unless the Trudeau government is happy to see growing casualty numbers in Lebanon – currently at more than 600 dead – it should immediately pressure our allies the US and Israel bring an end to the violence. Continue reading

Montreal, September 25, 2024 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) notes the decision of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee (FAAE) to study how Canada can recognize Palestinian statehood, but warns that this process should not be used to delay government action against Israel’s illegal occupation. A motion moved yesterday by Liberal MP Omar Alghabra commits to dedicate up to four meetings to “immediately study the issue of how the Government of Canada can advance the recognition of the State of Palestine” and to request a “comprehensive government response.” CJPME insists that a study is unnecessary and urges the government to finally recognize the State of Palestine immediately and without conditions. Continue reading

Montreal, September 23, 2024 — As today marks the deadliest day of Israeli air strikes in Lebanon since 2006, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) condemns Canada’s failure to avert Israel’s belligerence. CJPME reiterates its call for Canada to immediately impose a full Arms Embargo on Israel using the Special Economic Measures Act (SEMA.) CJPME points out that – with Gaza and the West Bank – this is the third brutal battlefront that Israel has opened against its neighbours in the past year, and Canada continues to repeat meaningless and erroneous platitudes about Israel’s “right to self-defence.”  Meanwhile, Canada ignores grave breaches of international law, like Israel’s genocide in Gaza, and its reckless “pager attack” in Lebanon last week. Continue reading

Montreal, September 23, 2024 — A new report by Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) highlights that the failures of Canada’s temporary resident visa program for Gazans (TRV) are rooted in systemic anti-Palestinian racism. Unlike a similar program helping Ukrainians flee Russia’s invasion in 2022, the Gaza TRV was designed with significant restrictions that fatally undermined its ability to help people escape Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. CJPME’s report, titled “Intended to Fail,” asserts that the TRV program was intentionally designed to limit the number of Palestinians who could find safety in Canada, based on racist assumptions about Palestinians as potential security threats and/or as “terrorists.” Continue reading

Montreal, September 17, 2024 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) condemns the rise of far-right Zionist vigilante groups in Canada and is urging media to provide accurate and comprehensive coverage of their activities and ideologies. CJPME laments that Canadian journalists thus far have described these groups as “safety” or “security” patrols, whereas some of these organizations have far-right extremist ideologies and histories of violence. To help journalists better understand the issue, CJPME has released an essay on four increasingly prominent Canadian organizations purporting to support security for the Jewish community, titled “The Rise of Zionist Vigilante Groups in Canada.” Continue reading

Montreal, September 16, 2024 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is urging the Canadian government to vote for a UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution this week which demands a swift end to Israel’s illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories. The vote, scheduled for September 18 during the UNGA’s 10th emergency session, will reaffirm the International Court of Justice (ICJ)’s advisory opinion of July and demand an end to Israel’s illegal presence in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem within the next year. CJPME warns that Canada’s last remaining credibility on international law is at stake if it chooses to vote against the ICJ’s legal opinion. Continue reading

Montreal, September 13, 2024 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is demanding that Immigration Minister Marc Miller call for the dropping of criminal charges against three protestors who were arrested last week in front of a Liberal campaign office in Montreal. For months, the three protestors had been protesting to express their anger and heartbreak at the failure of Miller’s Gaza Visa program and the ongoing genocide in Gaza. The three pro-Palestinian activists face charges of criminal harassment for approaching Miller’s car and criticizing his failure to get their family members out of Gaza. CJPME condemns their arrest as an attack on legitimate free expression, and calls on Miller to publicly oppose the arrest.  Continue reading

Montreal, September 4, 2024 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) condemns Elle Canada’s decision to remove Ontario MPP Sarah Jama from its list of trailblazing women in an article titled “These Incredible Canadians Have Broken The Glass Ceiling.” The decision followed attacks from pro-Israel commentators over her support for Palestinians. Elle Canada removed the reference to Jama in the article and added an editor’s note claiming the decision was made to “protect everyone’s safety.” However, Sarah Jama herself clarified on X, writing, “I haven’t received any threats so it wasn’t for my safety.” Continue reading

Dear Minister Joly, We, the undersigned civil society organizations, are deeply concerned at the enduring devastation in Gaza. Canada risks complicity in this humanitarian catastrophe through its ongoing transfer of military goods destined to Israel, exports which are incompatible with its obligations under the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). As organizations committed to upholding human rights, the protection of civilians, peace, and justice—several of whom are present in Gaza and seeing daily the grave consequences of the transfer of weapons to conflict parties—we urge the Government of Canada to take immediate action to cease all exports of arms and arms components to Israel, as well as any and all transfers for which Israel will be the end user. Continue reading