June 21, 2018 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) opposes the TD Ottawa Jazz Festival’s “Focus Israel” series sponsored by the Israeli embassy in conjunction with the Canada-Israel Cultural Foundation. The “Focus Israel” series is set to begin tonight and will run until Sunday, June 24th.  CJPME calls on the festival organizers to reconsider collaboration with the state of Israel – a state whose policies are regularly called out for human rights abuses by Amnesty International and other human rights organizations.  Continue reading

June 14, 2018 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is disappointed by the Trudeau government’s decision to abstain on a UN General Assembly vote yesterday condemning Israel for its disproportionate violence against Palestinians in Gaza in recent weeks.  The resolution text rightly deplored the “excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate force by the Israeli forces against Palestinian civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and particularly in the Gaza Strip,” and called attention to Israel’s use of live ammunition against civilian protesters, including children, medics and journalists.  Continue reading

June 6, 2018 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is disappointed by the Conservatives’ attempt to divide and mislead with today’s opposition motion to condemn Hamas.  The motion makes a number of assertions about the current Gaza situation and Hamas which don’t stand up to scrutiny.  The statement also ignores the broader context of the Israel-Palestine conflict, one where Israel is the belligerent occupier of Palestinian territory.  CJPME believes the motion is intended to score cheap political points in Canada on the backs of dispossessed and oppressed Palestinians.  Continue reading

Montreal, May 29, 2018 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) calls for a review and revamp of Canada-Israel trade ties.  Today, Israel’s minister of trade was feted at the Royal York hotel in Toronto, and activists from several organizations were present to protest trade cooperation with Israel.  Protesters attendant at the meeting stood up, one after the other, to disrupt the Israeli trade minister’s speech.  Their objections raised several issues, but heavily questioned how Canada could endorse deeper ties with Israel given Israel’s brutal and illegal crackdown on Palestinian protesters in Gaza just two weeks ago which also injured a Canadian doctor.  Continue reading

May 22, 2018 — At least 16,000 Canadians have emailed support for Prime Minister Trudeau’s comments last Wednesday condemning Israel’s use of live ammunition on Palestinian protesters.  These thousands of emails were sent to Trudeau, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, and other Parliamentary leaders and critics via a platform set up by Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME.)  The local MPs of each person who used the platform were also copied on the emails sent.  This number does not include the many individuals who expressed support via other means.     Continue reading

May 17, 2018 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) supports Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s statement on Gaza. Yesterday, PM Trudeau expressed grave concern with the outbreak of violence against unarmed Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, and called for an “immediate independent investigation to thoroughly examine facts on the ground – any incitement, violence and the use of excessive force.” CJPME calls on the government to keep its promise to Canadians in investigating Israel’s actions in Gaza.   Continue reading

Montreal, May 15, 2018 — This week, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) commemorates the 70th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba. The Nakba, meaning “catastrophe” in Arabic, refers to the dispossession and loss suffered by the Palestinians as a result of the UN Partition Plan of 1947.  Over a period of several months, at least 700,000 Palestinians became refugees, and hundreds of thousands more were displaced from their homes and livelihoods by Jewish militias. The Nakba is still very much part of the living memory of Palestinians, who still haven’t been allowed to establish their own state, and who face ongoing persecution from the Israeli government. Continue reading

Montreal, May 15, 2018 —Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) condemns Israel’s shooting of London, ON based doctor Tarek Loubani, shot while attending the wounded in Gaza.  Despite being clearly identified as a first responder, Loubani sustained a moderate injury to his left leg, and a minor injury to his right leg.  A friend and colleague of Loubani’s, paramedic Musa Abuhassanin was killed, along with at least 54 other Palestinians in Gaza yesterday.    Continue reading

April 20, 2018 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) applauds the statements delivered Thursday by three different Canadian MPs vis-à-vis Palestinian human rights. Thursday morning, Green Party leader Elizabeth May, NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice, and former Bloc Québécois leader Mario Beaulieu convened a press conference on Parliament Hill, highlighting the important takeaways from a Parliamentary fact-finding trip they participated in to Palestine. Continue reading

Montreal, April 10, 2018 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) condemns the Canadian government’s silence on the Israeli massacres unfolding in Gaza. Since March 30th, Palestinians have held a series of peaceful demonstrations at Gaza’s border with Israel, calling for the right to return to their homeland. The Israeli military has reacted by unlawfully targeting Palestinian civilians.  Over a week into the demonstrations, 27 Palestinians have been killed, and over a thousand injured by Israeli sharpshooters. Continue reading