Montreal, January 11, 2023 - Below is a letter to Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly requesting an explanation for Canada's vote against a UN resolution to seek an ICJ opinion on the legality of Israel's occupation. "In this critical moment, the UN General Assembly vote provided Canada with a missed opportunity to stand up for its stated principles of international law. By voting instead with Israel and against the resolution for an ICJ opinion, Canada stood by the brutal occupying power – now led by fanatical pro-settler extremists and annexationists – to protect its actions from legal scrutiny." Click here to download the letter as a PDF.  Continue reading

Montreal, December 21, 2022 — With the announcement of the formation of Israel’s 37th government, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is calling on the Canadian government to expel the Israeli ambassador to demonstrate that it is distancing itself from Israel’s new far-right regime. CJPME notes that the coalition led by Prime Minister-elect Benjamin Netanyahu, who enshrined Israel’s deeply racist Nation-State Law and whose plans to annex significant portions of the occupied West Bank remain “on the table,” is propped up by even more extreme, far-right elements. The Religious Zionism party (including Jewish Power), whose leaders have promoted vigilante violence, racial segregation, the annexation of the West Bank and the deportation of “disloyal” Israelis and Palestinians alike, is the third largest party in the Knesset and a major coalition partner. Expelling the Israeli ambassador would send a clear and unambiguous signal that the new government’s stated intentions to violate human rights and international law are completely unacceptable. Continue reading

Montreal, December 14, 2022 — Canadian human rights organizations are denouncing a Toronto speaking tour which features an Israeli settler organization with ties to Israel’s most extreme anti-Palestinian politicians. The Israeli NGO Regavim, which promotes the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements and campaigns for the demolition of Palestinian homes and schools, will be hosted in Toronto throughout the week by several Canadian pro-Israel groups. Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME), Independent Jewish Voices Canada (IJV), and the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association (ACLA) are condemning the decision to platform such an extreme perpetrator of anti-Palestinian racism, and call on all Canadians to denounce Regavim’s hateful agenda. Continue reading

Montreal, Dec. 8, 2022 — In observance of International Human Rights Day, celebrated annually on December 10th, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is calling on the Canadian government to defend the human rights of the Palestinian people.  CJPME points out that the human rights violations committed against the Palestinians by the Israeli government are particularly long-standing, deeply entrenched, and well-documented, and deserve immediate international attention. Unfortunately, despite the urgency required to address Israel’s abuses, CJPME notes that Canada has repeatedly chosen to ignore them Continue reading

Montreal, December 5, 2022 - CJPME sent a letter to Saint John City Councillors, to express gratitude to the City of Sain John for raising the Palestinian flag on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Read the full letter below, or click here to download a PDF version. Continue reading

Montreal, November 29, 2022 — On this International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) declares its steadfast support for the human rights and the national aspirations of the Palestinian people, whether those living under Israeli military occupation, those living in Israel, or those living as refugees in the diaspora. CJPME’s position is representative of numerous public opinion polls which demonstrate clearly that Canadians want their government to support Palestinian human rights. As such, CJPME also calls on the Canadian government to heed public opinion and its own supposed allegiance to the “international rules-based order,” and to stand with Palestinians by opposing Israeli apartheid. Continue reading

Montreal, November 21, 2022 — Canada’s rejection of the findings by Amnesty International on Israel’s regime of “apartheid” was not based on specific evidence, as indicated by documents released under the Access to Information Act and obtained by Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME). The released documents reveal that Global Affairs Canada (GAC)’s response to Amnesty’s landmark report did not identify any specific issue or criticism that would justify rejecting its findings, but that GAC nonetheless concluded that the report “will not alter Canada’s engagement with Israel.” CJPME calls on the Canadian government to meaningfully engage with the consensus on Israel’s apartheid within the human rights sector and immediately implement the recommendations detailed in Amnesty’s report. Click here for a Timeline of Canada’s Response to Amnesty’s Report Continue reading

Montreal, November 15, 2022 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is angered by Canada’s opposition to a draft United Nations motion which would request a legal opinion on the illegality of Israel’s occupation. Last Friday, the UN’s Fourth Committee voted 98-17 to request the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to render an advisory opinion on the legal consequences of Israel’s “prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation of the Palestinian territory” occupied since 1967, with Canada voting in the minority against the resolution. CJPME considers Israel’s de facto “permanent occupation” over Palestinians to be inhumane and brutal, and urges Canada to support this necessary resolution when it comes to a final vote in the UNGA plenary before the end of the year. Continue reading

Montreal, November 14, 2022 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) and Canadians United Against Hate (CUAH) are calling on the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) to take accountability for an incident of anti-Palestinian racism that occurred when it issued its school dress code on Oct. 31.  In the on-line FAQ for the new school dress code, a “Free Palestine” t-shirt was used as an example of school dress which would “promote or incite… violence.” Continue reading

Montreal, November 7, 2022 — Last week in Ramallah, in a meeting with Canada’s mission to the Palestinian Authority, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) drew urgent attention to the issue of Israel’s violent repression of Palestinian human rights organizations.  Continue reading